Real Sociedad and Manchester United go head-to-head in Spain on Thursday, with both sides already assured of a place in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase.
The two sides are separated by three points in Group E, with first-place Real Sociedad leading second-place Manchester United.
🔜 Próximo reto 🆚 Manchester United 🏟 Reale Arena 🗓 Jueves ⏰ 18:45 🆙 AURRERA REALA!!! #AurreraReala pic.twitter.com/T1mihh6Ins— Real Sociedad Fútbol (@RealSociedad) October 31, 2022
🔜 Próximo reto 🆚 Manchester United 🏟 Reale Arena 🗓 Jueves ⏰ 18:45 🆙 AURRERA REALA!!! #AurreraReala pic.twitter.com/T1mihh6Ins
Sociedad claimed a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on Matchday 1. Can they make it six wins from six? Or will the Red Devils spoil the party?
It’s safe to say that Sociedad have enjoyed a phenomenal Europa League campaign up to now, taking maximum points from their first five games.
Not only have they scored 10 goals (2 goals per game), but they have also conceded just once – keeping four clean sheets in the process.
That said, Sociedad’s La Liga campaign has taken a turn for the worse of late. After losing 1-0 to Valladolid, they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Real Betis last time out.
Although Sociedad’s Europa League form has been exceptional this season, they will need to forget about their recent domestic if they want to beat Man Utd.
As for United, they have won four of their five Europa League games this term – suffering a solitary defeat along the way.
After losing 1-0 to Sociedad on Matchday 1, they secured four straight victories – two against Sheriff (2-0, 3-0) and two against Omonia (3-2, 1-0).
The Red Devils head into Thursday’s clash on the back of a 1-0 win over West Ham, meaning they are currently enjoying a five-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League.
When you look at the bigger picture, Man Utd have avoided defeat in each of their last eight games across all competitions – keeping five clean sheets.
Head-to-head: Sociedad and United have faced each other five times in European competition since 2013, producing two United wins, two draws and one Sociedad win.
Given that four of those five meetings dished up under 1.5 goals, Thursday’s clash is likely to be a low-scoring affair.
Team news: Sociedad are missing several key players due to injury at the moment, including Mikel Oyarzabal, Umar Sadiq, Momo Cho and Alex Sola.
On the flip side, Man Utd are without Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane. Victor Lindelof and Antony are also doubts for Thursday’s game.
When you look at the head-to-head record between Sociedad and Man Utd, all the signs point towards a low-scoring encounter in Spain.
Forebet predicts that Real Sociedad and Manchester United will play out a low-scoring draw, producing under 2.5 goals between them.