Man Utd vs Real Sociedad preview, H2H, team news, line-ups, and prediction

Manchester United will host Real Sociedad in the second-leg UEFA Europa League clash on Thursday in what would be a season-defining fixture for both teams.

Sociedad have endured a slump in form since the beginning of the season, especially in the domestic league. Having secured direct qualification to the European competitions by finishing in the top six in the last five consecutive seasons, the chances of achieving that feat for a sixth time remain slim as they currently sit in 11th place in the LaLiga table.

With 10 wins in 27 Laliga games, it’s an almost impossible task to return to European competitions next season, making the Europa League a must-win for the San Sebastián outfit.

While their performances in Laliga have been underwhelming, their form in the Europa League have been promising.

They finished in 13th place during the league phase, with five points adrift of United in third place, before completely dismantling Danish side FC Midtjylland 7-3 on aggregate in the playoffs.

They’ve now won six of their 11 games in the competition, lost three, and drawn two, including against United at Reale Arena last week.

The White and Blues were held to a 1-1 draw against Sociedad in their Europa League round of 16 first leg after Bruno Fernandes conceded a penalty for handball.

Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot with 20 minutes remaining, shifting the momentum after Joshua Zirkzee had earlier given United a well-earned lead in the second half.

This marked Fernandes’ third penalty concession for United across all competitions and his second in the Europa League. He had previously given one away against Barcelona in February 2023.

Oyarzabal’s spot-kick was Sociedad’s first shot on target, highlighting United’s control. However, they nearly fell behind late on, with Andre Onana making a crucial save and Orri Oskarsson missing a significant chance off the bench.

For United, the Europa League represents their last shot at silverware this season, and they responded well to the pressure, delivering one of their more vigorous displays under Ruben Amorim. However, they will be frustrated not to have secured an advantage heading into the second leg after missing key chances.

Amorim’s flawless run in the competition ended, but he can take confidence from an improved performance that troubled Sociedad. Despite their inconsistent domestic form, United remain among the frontrunners to win the tournament. They concluded the league phase with the third-best record, winning five consecutive matches after drawing their opening three. They were also the only unbeaten team, with only Galatasaray (19), Lazio (17), and Tottenham (17) outscoring their 16 goals in the league phase. However, their inconsistency at home has impacted their European displays, as seen in the draw against Sociedad.

With exits from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and a lowly 14th-place standing in the Premier League, the pressure is immense as they attempt to keep their only trophy hopes alive.

Despite a poor domestic campaign, the Europa League has been a rare bright spot and possibly their only path to silverware and European qualification. Notably, United have lost just once in their last 28 Europa League home matches at Old Trafford (W21 D6), with that sole defeat coming against Sociedad in September 2022. In the knockout stages, they remain unbeaten in 15 (W10 D5) since a 3-2 loss to Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Club in March 2012.

If United can get past Sociedad on Thursday, fans can start to think about buying UEFA Europa League final tickets as they’ll be among the favourites to go all the way.

Man Utd vs Real Sociedad match details

• Date: Thursday, 13th March, 2025
• Location: Manchester, England
• Venue: Old Trafford
• Kick-off time: 08:00 PM GMT
• Referee: Benoît Bastien
• Assistant referees: Hicham Zakrani, Aurélien Berthomieu
• Fourth official: Jérémie Pignard
• VAR: Willy Delajod
• Assistant VAR: Benoît Millot
• Tickets: You can buy Europa League tickets from the clubs or via trusted reseller Seatsnet.

Match stats and head-to-head

• Bruno Fernandes has given away three penalties for United across all competitions, including two in the Europa League—one against Barcelona in February 2023.

• United are unbeaten in their last 15 Europa League knockout matches (W10 D5) since a 3-2 defeat to Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Club in March 2012.

• At Old Trafford, United have lost just once in their last 28 Europa League home games (W21 D6), with that sole defeat coming against Sociedad in September 2022.

• At least two goals have been scored in six of the last eight Europa League games at Old Trafford, including the previous two.

• United boast the highest average sequence time (12.9 seconds), passes per sequence (4.5), and possession (61.2%) in this competition, while Sociedad rank 17th with 52.0%.

• Amorim’s side are registering 18.8 shots per game in the Europa League this season—the most among teams still in the competition and their best European ratio on record (since 2003-04). This is 5.7 shots more than their Premier League average this term.

• United have the highest average possession in this season’s Europa League (59.3%), while Sociedad rank 17th with 52.0%.

Team news

Leny Yoro was substituted at half-time against Arsenal, with young Ayden Heaven taking his place. After the match, Amorim stated, “Leny, he has something in his foot. We’ll see if he’s available on Thursday.”

Manu Ugarte, who missed the first leg against Sociedad, has a chance of returning for the home fixture, with Amorim suggesting he could “maybe” be available.

Harry Maguire also sat out the first leg, and before the Arsenal game, Amorim admitted United must be “careful” with his return. While his experience would be valuable against the Spanish side, the club may have to cope without him.

Although the Portuguese coach remains hopeful about the trio’s availability, United still have an extensive injury list: Amad Diallo (ankle), Lisandro Martinez (knee), Kobbie Mainoo (calf), Jonny Evans (back), Luke Shaw (hamstring), Mason Mount (hamstring), Altay Bayindir (unspecified), and Tom Heaton (unspecified) are all sidelined for this clash.

After finishing the first leg clash against United with discomfort, Mikel Oyarzabal was rested in the Red and Whites weekend clash in LaLiga against Sevilla. However, he was brought into the fray later on and is expected to be fit for the trip to Manchester.

Moroccan centre-back Nayef Aguerd, who also suffered discomfort in the first-leg clash, recovered in time to slot into the starting lineup in the loss against Sevilla on Sunday and is expected to retain his place next Thursday.

However, Imanol Alguacil will be without defensive duo Jon Pacheco and Alvaro Odriozola, while Russian midfielder Arsen Zakharyan is also sidelined.

In a boost for the Spanish outfit, in-demand midfielder Martin Zubimendi returned to the squad last weekend after missing the clash against United through illness.

He was introduced from the bench, and Alguacil will be optimistic that the Spaniard remains fit for the must-win clash against the Red Devils.

Predicted starting lineup

Man Utd predicted starting lineup:

Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Lindelof; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Zirkzee, Garnacho; Hojlund.

Real Sociedad predicted starting lineup:

Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Aguerd, Munoz; Sucic, Zubimendi, Mendez; Kubo, Oyarzabal, Barrenetxea.

Prediction

The Red Devils could have suffered defeat in the first leg without Andre Onana’s crucial stoppage-time save. However, they remained resolute in grinding out the draw despite Sociedad piling the pressure late on.

The return leg presents a different challenge, with the United expected to take complete initiative. Their recent draw against Arsenal would give Amorim’s side the confidence heading into this game.

On the other hand, Sociedad’s poor form suggests they may struggle to pose a threat against Amorim’s side. Given their dominance at home, especially in big games, United are tipped to progress to the next round.

We’re predicting a 2-0 win for Man Utd.