After easing past Manchester United in the quarter-final of the Champions League and progressing to the semis for the first time in three seasons, Barcelona turn their attention back to their La Liga campaign as they host Real Sociedad.
The league leaders will be looking to get back to winning ways after a stutter at Huesca where a second-string side played out a goal-less draw.
We take a look at the talking points ahead of the big game.
Wrap up the league title
The lead at the top is a major advantage Barcelona hold over Liverpool before the pair locks horns in the semis. Ernesto Valverde’s men need just nine points in six games to wrap up the league title, whereas Liverpool might have to wait until the last game of the season.
This would allow Barcelona to rotate heavily, like they did against Huesca and hence have fresh legs for the semi-final tie.
Mathematically, the Catalans can be crowned champions as early as on Tuesday, when they take on Alaves.
Should Barcelona win both their matches and Atletico Madrid drop three points or more in their games against Alaves and Valencia in the coming week, Valverde’s side will be crowned champions.
This would then allow them complete liberty to rotate against Levante next weekend, three days prior to the all-important Champions League tie.
This should present Valverde extra incentive to go all guns blazing against Sociedad as it can potentially set the tone for the final stretch of games.
Will we see a front four?
Philippe Coutinho’s tremendous strike from distance against Manchester United which all but confirmed the tie in Barcelona’s was a clear indication of what he can do. He has scored such goals routinely in the Premier League, but the teams in La Liga know better than to give him acres of space in that part of the pitch.
One of the few times he succeeded in guiding a long-ranger home in a Barcelona shirt was in the same fixture last season. Another notable screamer was produced against Girona last season on a rare occasion when all four of Coutinho, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele started together. The game ended 6-1 in Barcelona’s favour.
Messi is in great form and Suarez has always performed well on English soil. Dembele is a game-changer in his own right and Coutinho too is beginning to impress after a woeful season.
This could be the perfect time for Valverde to experiment starting all these players together. A 4-4-2 formation turning into a 4-2-4 in attack can spell danger if the front-line performs. This can then serve as a blue-print for when Barcelona need to switch into an all-out-attack mode in the Champions League.
The @Phil_Coutinho ™️#BarçaRealSociedad pic.twitter.com/SAatvuKByg
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) April 19, 2019
Real Sociedad look to end woeful run?
At one point in February, Sociedad were seventh in the league and just three points away from a Champions League spot. Now they need to overcome a five-point deficit to leapfrog Real Betis, Alaves and replace seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao to stand a chance of qualifying for the Europa League.
La Real have endured eight games with just one win in the league and will be looking to get back to winning ways at the Camp Nou.
With Alaves, Bilbao and Betis facing a tougher run of fixtures in the concluding stages, Sociedad could fancy a shot at a Europa League qualifier spot.
However, they know that this is no easy task, given they have lost their last six games at the Camp Nou.
