Manchester United will look to put their disappointment in the Champions League group stage behind when they travel to Sociedad on Thursday.

Match preview

Manchester United traveled to Turin to take on Real Sociedad at the Juventus Stadium after Covid-19 restrictions in Spain forced the encounter to be moved away from the Anoeta. The Red Devils will now have their eyes set on a probable Europa League glory after bowing out of the UEFA Champions League in a rather disappointing manner.

After four matches, Solskjaer's men ranked atop their group which had the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksier in the mix. However, the Old Trafford outfit subsequently rested on its laurels and exited the competition after suffering two defeats in their last three games. In the end, both PSG and Leipzig - who featured in the semi-final of season's edition of the competition - progressed to the Last 16 stage while the Premier League club dropped to the Europa League.

In what will be their first test in the competition that they lifted four years ago, Manchester United will hope that their impressive away form that has guided them to a top two status in the Premier League will come in handy. Relatively, Solskjaer's men are no strangers to what the knockout phase of the Europa League demands. Last season, eventual winners Sevilla and Astana were the only two clubs capable of dishing out defeats to the Reds.

The former defeated them in the semifinal to set up a final date with Inter Milan, while the latter registered a shock 2-1 home win against the 13-time English champions. On Thursday, they will come into the game off the back of a frustrating 1-1 draw with West Brom that has put their Premier League title pursuit in jeopardy. Currently, they sit 10 points behind leaders Manchester City, having picked up just one win from their last five league games.

In the Europa League, the destiny of the Red Devils is firmly in their own hands as a win over Sociedad on Thursday would serve as a prelude for better things, come the end of the season. Needless to say, the opponents they come up against are no pushovers considering what they have managed to achieve in the ongoing campaign thus far. Sociedad approach the cup tie as runners-up of Group F, having avoided elimination with a dramatic 1-1 draw against Napoli in the final group encounter as Rijeka stunned AZ in the other game.

Generally, the form of La Real has been sub-par in recent weeks and this raises some concerns considering the reputation of the team they will come up against. After even enjoying brief spells atop the Spanish league table, Imanol Alguacil's men have fallen down the pecking order and are now struggling for form to compete for a Champions League place for next season.

But they come into the encounter with Manchester United on the backdrop of an admirable record, having lost none of their last four league matches. That withstanding, the omen seemingly favors Real Sociedad as Solskjaer's side has failed to pick up a single win in each of its last nine meetings with Spanish opponents.

Key stats

  • Real Sociedad have bee defeated in four of their last five knockout matches in major UEFA European competition.

  • Manchester United have lost just one of their last 16 matches in the UEFA Europa League.

Team news

Mikel Oyarzabal is expected to return to the starting lineup for Real Sociedad when they face-off with Manchester United. The 23-year-old Spanish international had been out with an ankle injury and was able to play for over 15 minutes in the win against Getafe.

Meanwhile, Luca Sangalli and Miguel Angel Moya are out of contention with injuries. For Manchester United, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani and Donny van de Beek are ruled out of action.

Predicted starting

  • Real Sociedad: Remiro; Gorosabel, Le Normand, Elustondo, Monreal; Zubeldia, Merino, Silva; Januzaj, Isak, Oyarzabal

  • Manchester United: Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Bailly, Telles; Fred, McTominay; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.

Broadcast information

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Real Sociedad 0 - 4 Manchester United

February 18, 2021 12:55pmAllianz Stadium (Torino)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

CBS All Access
fuboTV
UniMás
TUDN.com
Sport 24
Univision NOW
TUDNxtra
TUDN App