Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Stats: Key Insights
Opta’s supercomputer gives Real Sociedad a 43.8% chance of winning, while Manchester United’s chances stand at 29.4%.
Manchester United have won three and lost only one of their last six competitive matches against Real Sociedad.
Real Sociedad are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of a major European competition for the first time since the 1988-89 season.
Their preparation for this match couldn’t have been worse. In their previous game at Barcelona, centre-back Aritz Elustondo was sent off after just 17 minutes, leaving them with only 23.6% possession. They took no shots, conceded 33, and lost 4-0.
Manchester United didn’t have it much easier last weekend. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Fulham, losing 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim will be glad to return to UEFA Europa League action, as United have performed strongly in this competition, finishing unbeaten in the group phase with five wins and three draws from eight matches.
This contrasts with Real Sociedad, whose three defeats included a 2-1 loss to Anderlecht at home. They also had to go through the play-off round, defeating Midtjylland 7-3 on aggregate.
If Sociedad progress to the quarter-finals (with FCSB or Lyon awaiting), they will achieve something they haven’t done in 36 years. They’ve failed to get past the last 16 in their last four attempts since their UEFA Cup quarter-final appearance in 1988-89, where they beat German side FC Köln.
They will face United without several players, including Álvaro Odriozola, Jon Pacheco, Luka Sucic, and Arsen Zakharyan, who all missed the Barcelona match.
United, however, have a much worse injury situation, with nine players currently sidelined, including Amad Diallo, Lisandro Martínez, and Luke Shaw.
Historically, Real Sociedad have won just one of their last six European meetings with Manchester United (D2 L3). Their only victory came in September 2022 at Old Trafford, when Brais Méndez scored the only goal of the match.
Sociedad’s only other competitive encounters with English teams occurred in 1975, when they faced Liverpool and lost 3-1 in Spain. This means they’ve never beaten an English team at home.
Moreover, United have generally done well in Spain. They lost their last visit, a 3-0 defeat to Sevilla in the 2022-23 Europa League quarter-final, but were unbeaten in their previous seven trips to Spain.
In this season’s Europa League, Manchester United have averaged 18.8 shots per game, the highest of any team still in the competition and their best ever in a European season. Their average is 5.7 more shots than they average in the Premier League.
United also lead the competition in terms of possession (61.2%), passes per sequence (4.5), and sequence time (12.9 seconds). In comparison, Sociedad’s possession stands at 52.5%, meaning United could dominate the ball.
Amorim has experience against Sociedad, albeit only in a friendly match. In the summer of 2023, his Sporting CP team won 3-0. While that may not hold much significance now, it does give the United manager some confidence heading into this game.
Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Head-to-Head
The two teams have faced each other six times over the past 12 years, with goals generally scarce. The exception was in 2021 when Manchester United, led by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, won 4-0 in Spain, with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice, along with Marcus Rashford and Dan James.
The other five encounters featured no more than one goal each, including two goalless draws. However, both clubs have scored in every Europa League match this season.
Sociedad’s only victory came in the 2022 Europa League group stage at Old Trafford. United won the return match 1-0, with Alejandro Garnacho scoring the winner.
Real Sociedad 0-1 Manchester United – November 2022
Real Sociedad vs Manchester United Prediction
Despite United’s strong performance in the group stage, Opta’s supercomputer predicts Real Sociedad as the more likely winners at the Reale Arena on Thursday. The home side are given a 43.8% chance of taking a lead to Manchester, with United’s chances at 29.4% and a draw at 26.8%.
Sociedad have been poor on the road in 2024-25, losing five of their last six away matches, so they’ll be eager to gain an advantage heading into the second leg.
Opta Power Rankings
The Opta Power Rankings assign a score to over 13,000 domestic football teams worldwide, ranging from 0 (the worst-ranked team) to 100 (the best). Here are the Opta Power Rankings for both teams ahead of Thursday’s match in Spain.