Against a Real Sociedad side reborn since Pellegrino Matarazzo took over as manager. Against Gil Manzano and Del Cerro Grande. Against poor finishing and bad luck: five shots hitting the woodwork. Barça battled for victory at Anoeta against all odds, but their opponent was more clinical in both penalty areas (2-1). Doing far less, the Basque side reaped a much greater reward thanks to goals from Oyzarbal and Guedes, which canceled out Rashford's goal that only secured a brief draw. A defeat for a Barça team desperate with the referee's performance, leaving them just one point behind Real Madrid at the end of the matchday. Hansi Flick's men fought against the ten plagues of Egypt in their visit to Anoeta, and nothing went their way.

Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona will face off this Sunday (9 pm) at the Reale Arena (Anoeta) in a match corresponding to Matchday 20 of La Liga. Real Sociedad wants to distance itself from the relegation zone and dream of European qualification, while Barça seeks to maintain its lead and extend its winning streak to eleven consecutive victories in all competitions. Real Sociedad comes into this match after eliminating Osasuna in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, prevailing in a penalty shootout (2-2, 4-3), with the fatigue that entails. Barça defeated Racing Santander (0-2). The team managed by Pellegrino Matarazzo sits in eleventh place with 21 points, while Hansi Flick's side leads the standings with 49. The Basque team has accumulated five wins, six draws, and eight losses in La Liga. Barça's record is seventeen wins, one draw, and two losses. Matarazzo will have his entire squad available. Barça will be without the already known absences of Andreas Christensen and Pablo Gavi, and the last-minute withdrawal of Raphinha Dias, who is suffering from discomfort in his right thigh. On the other hand, Flick welcomes back Frenkie de Jong after his suspension.

It was like a miracle. When Girona was already anticipating another defeat in San Sebastián, Tsygankov emerged (1-2). In eight minutes, from the 76th to the 84th, the Ukrainian scored a brace that finally lifted Girona out of the relegation zone. Even though the entire matchday remains to be played, even if only provisionally, seeing the Girona team above the bottom three positions in the standings changes everything. This hadn't happened since matchday 1, a distant August 15th.

Barça has made another comeback, their third of the season, to climb to the top of the table. Without playing a great game, Flick's team is already setting the pace despite the absences. These absences fade into the background when Lamine Yamal returns to the spotlight, the best news in a match that could have ended badly had the Basques been more accurate. This is the good news for Barça: knowing how to win and being first in an adverse environment.

The unity between the fans, who filled the stadium upon Lluís Companys' return, and Hansi Flick's Barça is the strength of a team that, precisely that, when playing as a team, seems unstoppable. The plague of injuries doesn't stop a squad that has already recovered a roused Lamine Yamal and, despite various rotations in the starting lineup with unexpected guests, such as Dro Fernández (17 years old), is once again a winning machine, already surpassing Real Madrid at the top of the table. The German coach's formula, with exhausting demands, continues to bear fruit for a hungry Barça that culminated another comeback with a 2-1 defeat of a fearful Real Sociedad, which featured a lot of experimentation in the starting lineup. Montjuïc already awaits PSG on Wednesday in the return of the Champions League to the Catalan capital.

For the second Sunday in a row, Pere Milla unleashed ecstasies among the blue and white fans. In the Basque Country, the iconic striker from Lleida, with the hair of a cult singer, found the net again and, within minutes of the match, declared Espanyol's state of bliss, who had Real Sociedad on the ropes in a brilliant first hour. It was short-lived because a defensive mishap turned everything upside down in a highly emotional duel that left Manolo González's team tasting bittersweet wine, as they took only a point from their visit to Real Sociedad.

Having arrived in Girona in December, Vladyslav Krapyvtsov made his debut in charge at the Reale Arena. The Ukrainian caught the eye with a fantastic performance and several saves, although he couldn't prevent Míchel's side's defeat to Real Sociedad, which came at the hands of a controversial penalty and a goal in stoppage time (3-2). The Girona side had already completed their work, having secured their place in the First Division for the fourth consecutive year, for the first time since their founding, and for the sixth year overall. Another milestone in a period that will be remembered.

In life, a detail can change everything. In football, it often happens too. Barça consolidated their position at the top of the table after a comfortable win against Real Sociedad, an afternoon without scares at the Olympic Stadium in a match that changed completely when the Basques, who had started playing very well, were left with one man less after 17 minutes of play. The first few minutes were dominated by the visitors, with a goal disallowed for offside and approaches from the wings, but once Elustondo saw red, the match changed completely. It was a piece of cake for a team that had a blast on the pitch. Madrid is now three points behind. And Atlético is holding on firmly in second place. The end of the League will be exciting.

"We have authorized all regional flags except the Basque flag [the ikurriña] because it is not a regional flag. It is a separatist flag. It is an insult. Before allowing this flag to be displayed, they will pass over my corpse", Manuel Fraga Iribarne, then Minister of Home Affairs and vice-president of a government full of heirs of the dictatorship, stressed in May 1976, a few months after Franco's death. On January 19, 1977, however, less than a year later, the ikurriña was hoisted in the Plaza de la Constitución in San Sebastián. Thanks, in part decisively, to a football derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic which, 45 years ago, helped recover the flag of a people. This Saturday, almost a year after the coronavirus, and with the stands of La Cartuja in Seville empty of people and colour, one of the historical clashes with more tradition in European football will live a special edition on the occasion of the final of the Copa del Rey in 2020 (21.45 h, Telecinco and DAZN). Marcelino's Athletic are looking for their second title of the season after lifting the Spanish Super Cup in January. Imanol's Real are looking to win their first trophy since 1987.

Euphoria has taken hold of Barça. The same team that not so long ago walked the pitch with their heads down, hiding from the inquisitive stares of others, now come out to play defiantly, ready to shatter opponents with goals that carry a whiff of by-gone eras. Winning away from home has now become routine for Koeman's side, who continue to chase an Atletico Madrid side that seems a wounded animal. Simeone's side struggled immensely to beat Alavés. Barça, on the other hand, look younger and younger, more energetic, almost like one of those friends who never wants to go home. When others are already making their way to bed after a long night partying, he keeps on dancing. In San Sebastian, triumph was never in doubt. Not even when Ter Stegen had to make two fine saves. The win in San Sebastian makes twelve wins in the last thirteen games. The pursuit of the leader continues (1-6).