Real Sociedad vs Barcelona: Preview, Live Stream Info, TV Schedule and More

Barcelona travels to San Sebastian to take on Real Sociedad in the second game of the La Liga season. Both teams enter the game 1-0-0 after L'equip blaugrana defeated Villarreal and Txuri-urdin knocked off Sporting Gijon to get their seasons off to a fast start.

Where: Anoeta Stadium

When: Saturday, Sept. 10 at 12 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN Deportes (USA), Sky Sports HD 4 (UK), GolTV (Canada)

Live Stream: ESPN3 (where available)

Biggest Storyline: Can Real Sociedad stop Lionel Messi?

Probably the toughest task in football today is keeping Messi off the score sheet for 90 minutes. Even when manage to stop him from scoring goals, he tends to notch a couple assists instead. Once Messi gets the ball in open space, you know things are about to get exciting.

Messi has two goals and one assist against Real Sociedad last season. With so many other talented players on the squad, it is impossible to defend everybody and that's why Messi has had so much success over the past couple seasons.

The Txuri-urdin know their only chance of getting a result is playing a strong defensive style and using a counterattack to generate offense. Will it be able to withstand a Barcelona barrage for 90 minutes? Highly unlikely, but it's their only hope of slowing down Messi and Co.

Key Injuries

Barcelona: Gerard Pique (calf)

Real Sociedad: Gorka Elustondo (MCL sprain)

Betting Odds (Courtesy of wsn.com)

Barcelona -556

Draw +540

Real Sociedad +1180

Player to Watch for Real Sociedad: Imanol Agirretxe

Agirretxe scored both Real Sociedad goals in their opening match against Sporting Gijon. They were also the only two Txuri-urdin shots on goal, so he made them count. He only scored three goals all of last season, so they outburst was a bit unexpected.

He is expected to see a lot more playing time this season than he has in the past and he seems poised to finally reach his potential at age 24. It will be interesting to see if he can keep up with hot start against one of the world's best teams.

Player to Watch for Barcelona: Cesc Fabregas

After pushing his way out of Arsenal due to the team's lack of progress toward becoming a trophy contender, Fabregas has started well with his new club. He has two goals in three games with Barcelona and is just another weapon on and already loaded club.

His tremendous vision and passing ability make him a perfect fit on L'equip blaugrana and there will be no shortage of trophy battles during his time at Camp Nou. He'll look to continue the smooth transition with a strong performance against Real Sociedad.

Key Matchup: Claudio Bravo vs Barcelona Attack

Real Sociedad are a big underdog for a reason: they can't match Barcelona's talent. In football, however, a goalkeeper always has a chance to steal the game with a strong performance. There will be a ton of pressure on Bravo throughout the match, which is both a blessing and a curse.

If he could ever stonewall the Barcelona offense, he'd get more air time in Europe than he would have ever dreamed of. The more likely scenario is that he will be scored on three or four times, most of which probably won't even be his fault.

What They're Saying

Cesc Fabregas came to the defense of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for allowing him to move away from the Gunners to play for Barcelona, according to a report from ESPN.

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"That is the wrong picture of him, had it not been for him, I would not now be a Barca player," Fabregas told El Pais. "Without him I would not have made my debut by 16, played in the final of the Champions League at 18 and been team captain by 20.

"Without him I would not be a Barca player now, he convinced the owners of Arsenal, who would not sell under any circumstances, to lower the price."

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That's probably something that Arsenal fans won't be happy to hear.

Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo said in an interview posted on the team website that it's important for opponents to have a tough time playing inside Anoeta Stadium.

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"Barcelona have a degree of quality and speed, but our idea is to make us strong at home, it is encouraging to rivals feel it is difficult to play in Anoeta."

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We'll see how difficult it really is on Saturday.

Prediction: Barcelona 3 Real Sociedad 0