The bizarre goalscoring difference between Barcelona and Real Sociedad ahead of La Liga meeting

Barcelona and Real Sociedad lock horns at Reale Arena later tonight and are heading into the clash with contrasting fortunes.

The Catalans are, after all, coming off a stunning 5-2 win over Crvena Zvezda in the UEFA Champions League and are on a fine run of form including seven straight wins.

The Basque side, meanwhile, suffered a defeat to Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Europa League midweek and have lost two of their last three games across all competitions.

A daunting goalscoring gap 

Hansi Flick’s side have been Europe’s most potent attacking team all season and have a staggering 55 goals to their name across the two competitions in which they are currently participating.

Barcelona cannot stop scoring under Flick. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Of that, 40 have come in their 12 La Liga games so far and they are Spain’s highest-scoring side by far. The next highest scorers, for comparison, are Real Madrid with 25 goals to their name.

Imanol Alguacil’s men, meanwhile, are on the polar opposite end of the spectrum and have scored the least goals of all 20 La Liga teams this season. They have found the back of the net just 10 times all season, less than Robert Lewandowski’s tally alone.

The battle is more level-grounded on the defensive front where Barcelona have conceded 11 goals in comparison to La Real’s 10, and it is clear that their decent defensive record is the only reason they are not lower on the table.

Flick’s men are the favourites and will look to keep their momentum going later tonight as they stare towards the next international break. After all, they are only one win away from a perfect window of six wins since the previous hiatus.