The UEFA Europa League is back in action with another round of matches this week as Real Sociedad lock horns with Erik ten Hag's impressive Manchester United side at the Estadio Anoeta on Thursday.
Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Preview
Real Sociedad are currently in fifth place in the La Liga standings and have stepped up to the plate so far this season. The home side slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Real Betis over the weekend and will need to bounce back in this fixture.
Manchester United are in fifth place in the Premier League table at the moment and have improved after a poor start to their campaign. The Red Devils edged West Ham United to an important 1-0 victory in their previous game and will look to take it up a notch this week.
Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Manchester United have a slight edge over Real Sociedad in European competitions and have won two out of the five matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Real Sociedad's one victory.
- Real Sociedad won their first-ever European game against Manchester United in the reverse fixture and also scored their first official goal against the Red Devils in this match.
- Manchester United have lost their last two matches against Spanish opponents in European competitions, with a defeat against Atletico Madrid last season followed by a loss to Real Sociedad this year.
- Real Sociedad have won their last two home games in the UEFA Europa League - as many victories as they had managed in the 10 such games preceding this run.
- Manchester United have lost six of their last seven away games in the UEFA Europa League and have scored an impressive 19 goals during this period.
- Real Sociedad have completed 61 high turnovers in the UEFA Europa League this season - more than any other team in the competition so far.
Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Prediction
Manchester United have shown drastic improvement since the start of their campaign and have managed to adhere to Ten Hag's plans. The likes of Antony and Lisandro Martinez have been impressive so far and will look to make their mark this week.
Real Sociedad have been impressive in patches this season but have witnessed a slight slump in recent weeks. Manchester United are in better form at the moment and hold a slight upper hand going into this game.
Prediction: Real Sociedad 1-2 Manchester United
Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Manchester United
Tip 2: Game to score over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Manchester United to score first - Yes
Tip 4: Antony to score - Yes