A successful Europa League campaign could save Manchester United from an otherwise disastrous season. United remain the only unbeaten side in Europe’s secondary competition and finished as the third seed in the league phase.
Real Sociedad will be their opponents in the last 16, who beat Midtjylland 7-3 on aggregate and are one of the tougher sides left in the competition.
Sociedad can be described as one Europe’s best talent factories. Players often move on from the club to go to some of the top sides in Europe. Mikel Merino, Alexander Isak and Robin Le Normand have all left to join champions league level teams in recent years.
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The club has a proud academy tradition like the majority of teams in the Basque region. They have finished in the top six of La Liga in the five season, but currently languish in ninth. On the pitch the side has plenty of players who will pose a threat to Ruben Amorim’s men.
Deploying a 4-1-4-1 formation, manager Imanol Alguacil has been in charge since 2018. England fans well remember attacker club captain Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the winner in the Euros for Spain. Martin Zubimendi will also be a name familiar to Premier League fans. The defensive midfielder, who also appeared in that Euros final, was subject to several bids from Liverpool in the summer.
He was also sounded out as a potential Rodri replacement for Manchester City before the signing of fellow Spaniard Nico González in January. Tricky Japanese winger Takefusa Kubo is the sides top scorer in the league. The 23 year old was once on the books of Real Madrid and has the dribbling ability to frighten any full back in Europe on his day. As far as former Premier League players go, Moroccan centre back Nayef Aguerd is on loan from West Ham. Former City left sided midfielder
Sergio Gomez, who once set up Erling Haaland in a Manchester derby, will also return to Manchester for the first time since leaving the Etihad this summer.
The two sides previously met in the group stage the last time United were in the Europa League. A controversial penalty from a Lisandro Martinez handball meant that Sociedad left Old Trafford with a 1-0 victory. Alejandro Garnacho scored his first goal for the club in the reverse fixture from a Cristiano Ronaldo assist.
The first leg of the tie is to be played in San Sebastian on Thursday, March 6, with the sides then returning to Old Trafford the week after on Thursday, March 13.
Despite their faltering league form, playing Sociedad is never easy. A club with European pedigree, the strength of the squad should alone mean that they pose a threat to Manchester United’s Europa league status.
