Erik ten Hag’s side will begin their European adventure full of confidence after registering their fourth win on the bounce at the weekend.
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Manchester United will be looking to build on their impressive domestic run when they take on Real Sociedad in Group E of the Europa League on Thursday night. Erik ten Hag’s side will begin their European adventure full of confidence after registering their fourth win on the bounce at the weekend. The Red Devils defeated table toppers Arsenal to get ever closer to the top positions in the Premier League. The same cannot be said for Real Sociedad following their indifferent start to the new campaign. The Spaniards have a big task at hand to get anything out of an in-form United side at Old Trafford.
| Manchester United vs Real Sociedad | Key details |
| Date | September 8th |
| Venue | Old Trafford |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 am (Friday) |
| Kickoff time in the UK | 8 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 9 pm (Thursday) |
| Match Referee | Marco Di Bello |
When Manchester United started the season with back-to-back defeats, not many could have predicted the turnaround they are currently enjoying. To ten Hag’s credit, he made some bold decisions with his squad selection and game management. Those changes had the desired effect, as United won four games on the bounce, including a 3-1 win over Arsenal at the weekend. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad are sitting ninth in the La Liga table with seven points from four matches. Sociedad have won two, while they lost and drew one each. They are heading into this match on the back of a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in their last game.
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The upcoming match presents ten Hag with the opportunity to give chances to a lot of fringe players and academy graduates. The Dutchman will keep an eye on their Crystal Palace trip at the weekend while naming a squad for the Europa League match. There are some question marks over the fitness of Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford. Even though it may not be serious, ten Hag might not risk them on Thursday night. If Luke Shaw is fit then he could very well start the upcoming match.
It is also not clear whether Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Donny van de Beek are fit enough to be involved on Thursday. It is unlikely that Anthony Martial will be risked in this game, while Facundo Pellistri and Brandon Williams might also miss out. New signing Martin Dubravka could make his debut. Besides, Casemiro could get his first start on Thursday, with Cristiano Ronaldo also possibly returning to the starting XI. Meanwhile, Mikel Oyarzabal’s absence will be a big one for Sociedad and he will be joined on the sidelines by Martin Merquelanz and Carlos Fernandez. There are also question marks over the participation of Robin Le Normand and Diego Rico.
Manchester United possible line-up: Dubravka, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, Casemiro, Fred, van de Beek, Elanga, Garnacho, Ronaldo
Real Sociedad possible line-up: Remiro, Gorosabel, Zubeldia, Elustondo, Munoz, Zubimendi, Mendez, Merino, Silva, Sorloth, Sadiq
The Europa League match between Manchester United and Real Sociedad will take place at Old Trafford on Friday at 12:30 am IST.
The live telecast of the Europa League match between Manchester United and Real Sociedad is available on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 1 HD, Sony LIV, JioTV in India. Besides, the match can also be seen on Movistar Liga de Campeones, Movistar+ in Spain; and BT Sport Ultimate, BTSport.com, BT Sport 1, BT Sport App in the United Kingdom.
