WATCH: Neymar and Leo Messi rip Real Sociedad apart for equalizer

What a play

After falling behind early in the first half of their La Liga match with Real Sociedad, Barcelona have clawed back level thanks to the brilliant duo of Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Neymar’s fantastic dribbling skills on the left flank was a big factor in the goal as he skipped past several defenders to center a pass for Messi at the top of the box.

via r/Soccer

The Argentinian superstar made no mistake by collecting it with a delicate first touch and slamming his finish past the goalkeeper to even the score at 1.

It hasn’t been the most inspiring of matches for the Blaugrana, but they have a chance to get something from this match at a tough away venue. Can they find another goal?

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Real Sociedad vs Barcelona, 2016 La Liga: Confirmed Lineups, Live Game Thread

Live game thread for Barcelona’s Spanish League match against Real Sociedad

LINEUPS

Real Sociedad starting lineup (4-3-3):

1. Gerónimo Rulli | 2. Carlos Martínez, 6. Iñigo Martínez, 22. Raúl Navas, 19. Yuri Berchiche | 10. Xabi Prieto, 4. Asier Illarramendi, 17. David Zurutuza | 18. Mikel Oyarzabal, 12. Willian José, 11. Carlos Vela

Substitutes: 25. Toño Ramírez, 15. Aritz Elustondo, 3. Mikel González, 24. David Concha, 8. Esteban Granero, 16. Sergio Canales, 7. Juanmi

Manager: Eusebio Sacristán

*****

Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3):

1. Marc-Andre ter Stegen | 20. Sergi Roberto, 14. Javier Mascherano, 3. Gerard Pique, 18. Jordi Alba | 4. Ivan Rakitić, 5. Sergio Busquets, 21. Andre Gomes | 10. Lionel Messi, 9. Luis Suarez, 11. Neymar

Substitutes: 13. Jasper Cillessen, 19. Lucas Digne, 33. Marlon Santos, 12. Rafinha, 6. Denis Suarez, 28. Carles Alena, 17. Paco Alcácer

Manager: Luis Enrique

MATCH INFO, HOW TO WATCH ONLINE/TV

Date/Time: Sunday, November 27, 2016, 8:45pm local time (CET), 2:15pm ET, 11:45am PT (US), 1:15am (next day) IST (India)

Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano

TV listings: beIN Sports, fuboTV (US), Sky Sports 1 (UK), beIN Sports Canada (Canada), Sony Six (India), Movistar+, Canal+ Partidazo (Spain), elsewhere

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Bold Prediction: Barcelona WILL Break the Anoeta Curse

Real Sociedad have made it a habit of winning at home against the Blaugrana

Barcelona’s struggles away to Real Sociedad are well-documented. Suffice to say, the last time Barcelona beat La Real at the Anoeta stadium (May 2007), Neymar was 15, Luis Enrique hadn’t begun his coaching career, and Andrés Iniesta had hair.

But this ends today. At least, I think.

Why? Well, simply, Barcelona are a better team and logically should beat La Real more than once in 10 years, even as the away team. That they haven’t is to some degree a coincidence. There have been many different players and managers on both sides. The teams that played in 2008 are essentially completely different from the ones that will play today.

If you roll a pair of die enough times, you might roll snake eyes 10 times in a row. But come on, it can’t go on like that forever, right?

...Right?

I think MSN (Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez) will get the job done. The biggest worry is that Gerard Piqué won’t play, or that he won’t really be fit. He’s one of Barcelona’s essential players, and with Samuel Umtiti and Jérémy Mathieu sidelined, Barcelona would have to rely on young Marlon Santos.

Marlon is a good player, but Anoeta is a tough ask.

Less bold prediction: Barcelona win at Anoeta if Piqué is fit.

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Messi comes back against Celtic and proves to be the difference.

Barcelona go on to win and continue at the top of the table in the Champions league.

It is good for Barcelona to be back to their winning ways after what was a disappointing match, for whatever reasons, against a Málaga team with an inspired Kameni. Sometimes, as fans, we worry that our team might fall of the wagon after a tough match which ended with an undesirable result. Fortunately for us, that rarely, if ever, happens with this delightful team. They are truly a treat to watch, and are still extremely dangerous. In this day and age of continual football, where the majority of players play upwards of fifty games a year, it will be hard to maintain a high level of quality for the entirety of a season. Despite how awe inspiring Barcelona is, they too struggle to always play to the heights we expect. Therefore, this victory against Celtic was of the utmost importance.

Despite what the result might show, a visit to Celtic Park is always difficult. I do not know how enjoyable it can be, as a visiting player, to play in a stadium with such terrific supporters. One would imagine that at some point it would all just become undistinguishable noise. All evidence points to it being quite difficult, as some arenas prove to be tremendously demanding to play in as visitors, despite sometimes the home team not being quite skillful, with all due respect. Barcelona came ready to play, however, and the despite the avid fan support, came away with three essential points after a complete team performance.

Irish Goat’s Three Gamboling Goleadores!

1^st Goleador: Lionel Messi

One often forgets how brilliant Messi is. After nearly 75 minutes played, I caught myself thinking I was not going to choose Messi for this edition of the goleadores as he did not have a terrific match. The man had two goals and countless other opportunities! Not to mention a veritable slew of terrific passes that only he has the ability to pull off with his particular brand of magic. It just goes to show how overindulged we sometimes seem to be. Without meaning to insult anyone in this forum, I truly believe that if any one of us had a single match in which we exhibit even a whisper of the ability Messi provides time and time again, we would be exhausted. There is a limit to how bright you can shine before you burn out, and yet this little genius, this terrific player, keeps getting brighter and brighter.

Another facet of Messi that often gets criticized, through no fault of his own, is the dependence this team seems to have on him. Well…yes! Is that such a terrible thing? As if somehow, we are less as a club by relying on our most important player? It is as if there is to be great shame in being able to field the best player in the world and use him with impudence. He is a Barcelona player. He is beloved as the greatest Barcelona player. Given enough time, Barcelona would adapt to playing without Messi and we would continue to beat other teams soundly. As it stands now, our system does indeed rely on him, so for now we will continue to enjoy watching our Messi-dependent team destroy other teams, while others continue to spout trivialities in envy.

2^nd Goleador: Gerard Piqué

I liked what I saw from Piqué for the second game in a row. It might be confirmation bias on my part, but I truly feel that our defense is much more effective and organized when he is playing. We shall see what happens with our defense against more demanding teams such as La Real in Anoeta, but against this Celtic team they performed admirably. Gerard continues to provide evidence of his growing maturity and his undisputed role as a starter for Barcelona.

3^rd Goleador: Jordi Alba

I do not know if Jordi is really that much better than Lucas at the overlapping run, or simply if Neymar has better chemistry with him and trusts him more with the ball, but in this game Jordi seemed able to provide more attacking depth down that left flank than we have seen recently. This is something we sorely need, as our system works incredibly well when we have veritable attacking threats from both defensive backs. Hopefully Neymar passes the ball more to anybody assisting him down that left flank instead of always trying to dribble, which would open up those lanes more, and allow for a more fluid offense.

Visca Barça and see you soon for the next one.

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Real Sociedad vs Barcelona, 2016 La Liga: Kickoff time, live stream, TV listings, How to Watch online

Can Barça finally win a game at Anoeta?

What if I told you the best team in the world simply cannot win at one stadium, and no matter how bad the opponent is, they become a monster at that stadium and always beat the best, stronger visitor? Is it possible that something like that happens?

Yes, and Barcelona fans know that more than any other fan, probably. The Blaugrana travel on Sunday to the Basque Country, most specifically to San Sebastián, and face not only Real Sociedad, but the incredible environment of the Anoeta stadium.

On paper, this already is a tough match. Sociedad have won five of their last six games in La Liga, are now in fifth place in the standings and trail third-place Barça by just four points. Even if they were botom of the league and 30 points behind the Catalan giants, though, this would be a tough game because of the Anoeta stadium.

It has been almost a decade since Barça won at Anoeta, and not even the superhuman teams of Pep Guardiola were able to escape that environment with three points. For the first time ever, though, the 'MSN' trio will play at the Stadium of Hell, and maybe Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar have what it takes to get a win where Barça just can't win.

This should be a very fun match to watch. Don't miss it. You may see something truly historic happen today. And that's Barça winning. Seriously.

---

Date/Time: Sunday, November 27, 2016, 8:45pm local time (CET), 7:45pm BST (UK), 2:45pm ET, 11:45am PT (US), 1:15am IST (India, Monday)

Venue: Estadio de Anoeta, San Sebastián, Spain

Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano

TV listings: beIN SPORTS (US & Canada), beIN SPORTS En Español (US & Canada - Spanish), Sky Sports 1 (UK), Sony Six SD/HD (India), elsewhere

Online streaming: beIN SPORTS CONNECT (US & Canada), Sky GO (UK), FuboTV (US & Canada, legal, high-quality streaming service. Click here to sign up and get a special discount for Barcelona fans), elsewhere

(Listings via LiveSoccerTV)

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La Liga News: 27 November 2016: Real Extend Unbeaten Record, Sevilla Move Into Second

Real Madrid 2-1 Sporting Gijon - BBC Sport
The European champions looked in control when Ronaldo scored twice in the first 18 minutes. His opener was a penalty and his second was a header from Nacho's cross - his eighth La Liga goal in four games. But Carlos Carmona pulled one back and Duje Cop missed a penalty for the visitors with 13 minutes left.

Ronaldo scores 2 as Real Madrid equals Ancelotti's run
Zinedine Zidane has matched another feat by Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. With two first-half goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, Zidane's Madrid defeated Sporting Gijon 2-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday to equal the 31-game unbeaten run by Ancelotti's team in the 2013-14 season.

Real Madrid | Record-breaking Zidane pips Madrid great Miguel Muñoz - AS.com
After 13 weeks of the new season, Zidane has eased into top spot in terms of Liga managers as a whole with 86 points gained in his first 33 games in charge (27 wins, five draws and one defeat). The Frenchman has exceeded even the great Miguel Muñoz, who in his first 33 games at the Bernabéu racked up 84 points (27 wins, three draws and three defeats).

Sevilla FC vs. Valencia - Football Match Report - November 26, 2016 - ESPN
Sevilla moved up to second place in LaLiga with a 2-1 win over Valencia at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday evening. A sterile first half gave way to a much more open second as an Ezequiel Garay own goal put Sevilla ahead in the 53rd minute, but Valencia substitute Munir El Haddadi drew the visitors level 12 minutes later. Sevilla, who lacked their usual fluency without the playmaking talents of Samir Nasri, had enough about them to grab a winner when Nico Pareja restored their lead in the 75th minute and Jorge Sampaoli's men just about hung on to move six points behind league leaders Real Madrid.

Espanyol vs. Leganes - Football Match Report - November 26, 2016 - ESPN
Espanyol secured their first home win of the season at the seventh attempt as two goals early in the second half set them up for a 3-0 victory at home to Leganes. Quickfire goals from Gerard Moreno and Pablo Piatti did the damage as Leganes failed to build on their win over Osasuna, with the defeat their fifth in six matches.

Bacca attends Sevilla game | Football Italia
Milan striker Carlos Bacca sparked transfer speculation after attending a Sevilla game while his teammates played Empoli. The 30-year-old Colombia international has failed to score in his last six games for the Rossoneri. He has a slight injury and was therefore rested for tonight’s trip to Empoli.

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FC Barcelona News: 27 November 2016: Neymar Unhurt After Crash, Barca B Win Again

Match Preview: Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona - FC Barcelona
After the 0-0 draw with Málaga last week, FC Barcelona have ground to make up on Liga leaders Real Madrid, who they host in next week’s Clásico and who survived some scares on their way to a 2-1 defeat of Sporting Gijón on Saturday. But the challenge of a trip to San Sebastian is not an easy one. Real Sociedad are one of the most in-form teams in the competition right now, and Anoeta is a ground where Barça have a dismal track record in recent seasons.

Luis Enrique expects attractive football in a game against high-quality opposition - FC Barcelona

The Basque team were praised by the Asturian coach for the variety of options they have: "Real Sociedad is capable of being very attacking with the ball and very defensive without it. They are one of the few teams who can effectively play the ball both long and short." This ability to mix up their game will demand maximum respect from Barça's squad and the team are hoping to get a victory tomorrow.

FC Barcelona B 4-0 CE L’Hospitalet: Solid win for the leaders - FC Barcelona
Barça B’s good run of form continues. After the win in Lleida last week, the Miniestadi witnessed a fine 4-0 defeat of Hospitalet on Saturday that reasserts the team’s place at the top of the Division 2B table. Gerard López’s side dominated the ball and posted an absolutely stellar all-round performance, while cancelling out almost any chances for a visiting side that fielded a tightly-packed five-man defence.

Barcelona's Neymar OK after car crash linked up with squad - source - ESPN FC
Barcelona forward Neymar is unhurt after suffering a scare when he crashed his Ferrari, a source has told ESPN FC, and is with the rest of the squad ahead of the game against Real Sociedad on Sunday. Neymar, 24, was en route to the club's training ground to join up with his teammates before flying to San Sebastian for the match when he lost control of his car.

Susana Monje resigns from her role as FC Barcelona Vice President - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona Vice President Susana Monke resigned from her role on Friday due to personal reasons. The Club President, Josep Maria Bartomeu, expressed his respect for her decision and will temporarily take on the responsibilities that the Vice President had.

U19A v Damm: First place confirmed (2-1) - FC Barcelona
The U19A's have won 2-1 against a difficult opponent in Damm, who are fourth in the division and one of the highest scoring teams. The blaugranas came off the back of a 4-1 UEFA Youth League victory against Celtic and managed to win again extending their lead at the top of the table on 35 points.

Barcelona to begin contract negotiations with Lionel Messi after Real Madrid clash
Barcelona will begin contract extension talks with Lionel Messi after the club's El Clasico showdown with Real Madrid on 3 December, according to reports. Catalan daily Sport says Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu is speaking to Messi's father Jorge and that the Argentina international could be offered a contract for life after El Clasico.

Real Madrid and Spain star Isco 'emerges as shock Barcelona transfer target' - Mirror Online
Barcelona are reportedly monitoring Isco's contract situation at Real Madrid. The former Malaga playmaker's current deal at the Bernabeu expires in 2018 and an extension isn't thought to be close. Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo say Barca are one of the clubs interested in signing Isco if he doesn't renew his contract with Madrid.

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