Manchester United vs Real Sociedad Preview

Manchester United will look to progress to the next round of the Europa League when they welcome Real Sociedad to Old Trafford on Thursday night.

United come into this game with some positivity around them. After securing a morale-boosting draw against Arsenal last weekend it was announced that the club are set to build a new £2 billion stadium that will be the biggest in the UK.

For a club that has suffered greatly on-field and off-field in the last couple of years, such an announcement is expected to re-energise the fanbase and perhaps put some impetus in the legs of the players, who put up a positive performance in their last two games.

Manchester United showed their grit in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League. Ruben Amorim’s men would have been disappointed that they couldn’t hold on, given that they took the lead and arguably had the better chances.

The same was true of the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie against Real Sociedad, which also ended 1-1. That maintained United’s unbeaten record in Europe this season (W5, D4) and put them in the driver’s seat with home advantage here in the second leg.

Although Old Trafford may not be a fortress anymore, the Red Devils remain tough to beat here in the Europa League, losing just one of their last 28 matches in the competition on this ground (W21, D6). However, that loss came against Sociedad in September 2022, which is the only time the Spanish side have defeated them in seven head-to-head meetings.

Like their hosts, Sociedad’s season could entirely depend on their Europa League fortunes, as a 1-0 loss to Sevilla on Sunday left them well off the pace to qualify for Europe in La Liga. That also extended La Real’s winless streak to four matches across all competitions (D1, L3).

So pressure could begin to mount on head coach Imanol Alguacil if his side are unsuccessful here. The fact that Real Sociedad have five defeats from their last six away matches across all competitions (W1) suggests progression will be a difficult task here.

Also, the visitors have won just one of their four trips to England in European competition (D1, L2), a win which came on their last such trip under Alguacil’s leadership. A repeat will be required if they are to advance to a first European quarter-final since 1988/89.