Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Europa League match.
The injury to Arsen Zakharyan, sustained after an excellent performance two weeks ago, appears to have affected Real Sociedad. At home in San Sebastián, they will adopt a defensive approach against Manchester United. We expect the game to produce few clear-cut opportunities for both teams.
Real Sociedad
Last week, Real Sociedad struggled against Spain’s leading clubs. They achieved only 1.09 xG in two matches – a 0:1 defeat to Real Madrid and a 0:4 loss to Barcelona, with Barcelona failing to register any shots on target. On Sunday, an early red card for Aritz Elustondo further reduced the team’s strength; on Thursday, they will not be at full capacity. In addition to Arsen Zakharyan, they will also be without Luka Sučić and Álvaro Odriozola, both of whom are key to their attacking play.
Manchester United
Manchester United’s prospects of salvaging their season rest solely on their Europa League campaign. Over the weekend, they were eliminated from the FA Cup by Fulham (1:2 after penalties), which demonstrated the weaknesses of the Rasmus Højlund–Joshua Zirkzee attacking partnership. Against less challenging opponents, Manchester United scored one goal, generating 1.47 xG and registering 20 shots over 120 minutes; without Amad Diallo, they have lost an important option for progressing the ball.
Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Prediction
After comfortably overcoming Midtjylland in the Europa League playoffs (7:3 on aggregate), Real Sociedad now face a significantly tougher challenge. In San Sebastián, Manchester United will play with maximum intensity, making it unlikely that Real Sociedad will create many scoring opportunities.
