Real Sociedad expected to remain without key midfielder for Barcelona clash | OneFootball

Real Sociedad returned to winning ways last weekend after they saw off Las Palmas at the Reale Arena, and they will hope to take that momentum into Monday’s difficult clash against Barcelona at the Estadi Olimpic.

La Real are two points clear of Real Betis in the race for the final Europa League qualification spot, and with Los Verdiblancos hosting already-relegated Almeria, they will almost certainly need to secure a positive result in order to maintain sixth place in the La Liga table.

The unfortunate thing for head coach Imanol Alguacil is that Martin Zubimendi has yet to return to training, as per MD. The 25-year-old picked up an injury during training last week, and missed the Las Palmas victory, and he is on course to be unavailable against Barcelona too, which would be a big blow.

If Zubimendi does not make it, Real Sociedad would continue with Benat Turrientes at the base of their midfield, supported by Mikel Merino and Brais Mendez, who returned from injury himself against Las Palmas.