Manchester United will look to secure their last 16 qualification when they welcome Real Sociedad to Old Trafford for their round 32 second leg encounter.

Match preview

Manchester United will welcome Real Sociedad to Old Trafford on Thursday night as they look to seal qualification to the Round of 16 of this season's UEFA Europa League. The Red Devils already have a foot over the line after subjecting the Spanish outfit to a 4-0 defeat in the first leg clash at the Anoeta last week. Goals by Bruno Fernandes (x2), Marcus Rashford, and Daniel James sealed the deal for Solskjaer's men who are now expected to comfortably see out the reverse encounter at Old Trafford.

United approach the cup tie off the back of a brilliant 3-1 win over Newcastle United in the Premier League and will look to build on that. While they have proved to be a handful whenever they are in the mood, the Red Devils have struggled for consistency and have seen their league title charge hitting a snag as a result. Nevertheless, the Europa League could provide them with an alternative path to success, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looking to clinch his first-ever silverware as manager of the club.

The Norwegian manager's side has not particularly had a bad run as they have picked up just one defeat in their last 13 matches across all competitions. Only four of those match-ups have ended in draws with the remaining eight games resulting in wins. Against Sociedad, their chance of winning is very much boosted by the fact that they have not recorded a single loss against the Spanish club in three meetings, winning two and drawing the remaining one game.

On Thursday, Sociedad will have the opportunity to change this narrative and potentially stage one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Europa League by delivering a strong performance at Old Trafford. La Real were tipped to give the Premier League outfit a good run for their money in the first leg encounter but fell short despite showing glimpses of their quality. Over the weekend, they restored optimism for a potential comeback in the upcoming meeting with the Red Devils by putting four goals past Deportivo Alaves in La Liga.

The result presents a genuine case for Imanol Alguacil's men to go all out and grab a result against United although it will not come easy. Should that be achieved, players of the Basque club will be in high spirits when they come face to face with Real Madrid in a crucial La Liga clash after Thursday's trip to Old Trafford.

Team news

Paul Pogba and Phil Jones are ruled out indefinitely for Manchester United ahead of Thursday's meeting with Real Sociedad. Edinson Cavani, Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay are stepping up in their respective recovery journeys but will not be risked for the Europa League game. Captain of the Red Devils Harry Maguire is a yellow card away from a suspension and is expected to be rested, paving the way for Eric Bailly or Alex Tuanzebe to start.

For Real Sociedad, Robin Le Normand and Joseba Zaldua are unavailable for the trip to old Trafford. The former is banned for an accumulation of bookings while the latter picked up a hamstring injury in the first leg matchup between the two sides.

Predicted starting XI

  • Manchester United: Henderson; Williams, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Telles; Fred, Matic; James, Mata, Rashford; Greenwood

  • Real Sociedad: Remiro; Gorosabel, Zubeldia, Sagnan, Monreal; Zubimendi, Merino, Silva; Portu, Isak, Oyarzabal.

Broadcast information

  • United Kingdom: BT Sport Extra, BT Sport Ultimate, BT Sport App, BTSport.com, BT Sport 2

  • United States: TUDN App, CBS All Access, Univision NOW, TUDNxtra, TUDN.com, UniMás

  • Spain: Movistar+, Movistar Liga de Campeones

  • Canada: DAZN

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Manchester United 0 - 0 Real Sociedad

February 25, 2021 3:00pmOld Trafford (Manchester)

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