Great form at the Reale Arena

FC Barcelona's first away fixture of their Liga campaign takes them to Real Sociedad this Sunday at 10.00pm CEST. It's a place where they have no lost for six games (four wins and two draws), the best run the Catalans have ever had in San Sebastian. If we also include the Copa del Rey victory there in 2017, the record looks all the more impressive:

21/04/22 Real Sociedad 0-1 Barça
21/03/21 Real Sociedad 1-6 Barça
16/12/20 Real Sociedad 2-2 Barça
15/09/18 Real Sociedad 1-2 Barça
14/01/18 Real Sociedad 2-4 Barça
19/01/17 Real Sociedad 0-1 Barça (Copa del Rey)
27/11/16 Real Sociedad 1-1 Barça

Last season's meeting may have been a tight one, decided by a solitary Aubameyang goal, but the year before the blaugrana romped to a 6-1 victory, only the second time since 1995 that the Basques had conceded six at home. The other, in 2000, was also to Barça, on that occasion 6-0.

Barça are now chasing a third consecutive win away to Real, just one shy of their all-time record of four in a row established between 1992 and 1995. 

Changing fortunes

Barça's current run of positive results at the Reale Arena is in stark contrast to the years immediately before, when it was very much the bogey stadium for the Catalans:

27/11/16 Real Sociedad 1-1 Barça
09/04/16 Real Sociedad 1-0 Barça
04/01/15 Real Sociedad 1-0 Barça
22/02/14 Real Sociedad 3-1 Barça
12/02/14 Real Sociedad 1-1 Barça (Copa del Rey)
19/01/13 Real Sociedad 3-2 Barça
10/09/11 Real Sociedad 2-2 Barça
30/04/11 Real Sociedad 2-1 Barça

Barça went for seven league games without a single win there, five of which were defeats, and also failed to win in 2014's Copa del Rey meeting. It really has been a remarkable turn for the better, and hopefully the good news can continue this Sunday evening!