Europa League Group E

Real Sociedad 0:1 Manchester United

Reale Arena

Kick-off
Thu, 3 November 2022 @ 5:45pm GMT
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Discussion Your Lineup Prediction

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    Doracle said:
    Needs to be 2-0 I think, as away goals don’t help.
    Click to expand...
    2-1 means we go on away goals on H2H that’s the 2nd criteria if H2H wins are tied on. If H2H GD is tied, then we go to overall GD. So if we win 1-0, they finish 1st but if any other win for us, we go 1st
     
    suheilsworld said:
    2-1 means we go on away goals on H2H that’s the 2nd criteria if H2H wins are tied on. If H2H GD is tied, then we go to overall GD. So if we win 1-0, they finish 1st but if any other win for us, we go 1st
    Click to expand...

    Away goals aren’t included anymore, so if the h2h is level (2-2 in your scenario) it goes to overall GD. We need to win 2-0.
     
    Berbaclass said:
    Watched them lose 2-0 against Betis. They're nothing special.
    Click to expand...

    Trouble is our record against Spanish teams is generally pretty woeful,mixed feelings because don't want the extra two games but also fear burnout on Sunday.
     
    This game has broader implications for our Top 4 aspirations in the league. Win by 2 goals and we’d have 2 less Europa games to worry about and a better rested squad
     
    suheilsworld said:
    2-1 means we go on away goals on H2H that’s the 2nd criteria if H2H wins are tied on. If H2H GD is tied, then we go to overall GD. So if we win 1-0, they finish 1st but if any other win for us, we go 1st
    Click to expand...
    Away goals rule was scrapped last year.
     
    I’m nervous for tonight but quietly confident we’ll get the job done. The problem is if we concede then we need 3 goals. Whatever happens we’re through anyway and if we have to play 2 extra games then so be it.
     
    Personally, not too bothered about tonight! I’d rest some key players (Casemiro, Dalot, Rashford) and just see what happens. The teams finishing third in their groups look good on paper but anyone that’s watched the likes of Barcelona, Ajax and Juve in the CL would know they are not all that! If we can’t beat these sides we may as well find our now rather than further down the line!
     
    Looking forward our usual too performance against a Spanish team
     
    Valencia Shin Crosses said:
    Antony, AM9, and Sancho all out.

    Probably means Elanga starting. Ugh.

    Or potentially having Bruno off of the right I guess
    Click to expand...

    I'd be surprised if Elanga started. We need goals. I could see VDB playing as a 10 and Bruno on the right, as you say, or Garnacho on the left before Elanga. Sociedad won't let us score on the counter and Elanga hasn't really shown much in that regard. Bruno on the right at least allows us to get VDB in the positions he likes as basically a 2nd striker linking up so Cristiano can focus on goals and not getting involved in the build up, which he's struggled at, and give us the threat of Bruno crossing to Rashford, Cristiano and VDB.

    I think it's more likely we'd use him against Villa, who are at home and while Emery can produce really strong tactical plans against better teams, he's been there 3 days. I'd rather play Elanga and Rashford on the left and right against them, or Rashford up top and Garnacho and Elanga on the wing against them.

    Feels like this is the first game since Eriksen was used as a false 9 against Brighton that VDB should actually be starting in if Ten Hag has any confidence in him. I guess we could also see Garnacho-Cristiano-Rashford as a front 3 with VDB as the first option on the bench, but my wild guess is against a team sitting deep, VDB will get the start.

    Garnacho on the right is a thought too. Just tell him to focus on getting crosses in and playing like an old-fashioned winger, with Dalot inside and fairly high up the pitch like he's played at times lately, even getting into #10 or striker-y positions dead center when the ball is on the left. It must have been against Sheriff he did that a bunch, though coulda been a league game last week.
     
    Thiagoal said:
    Personally, not too bothered about tonight! I’d rest some key players (Casemiro, Dalot, Rashford) and just see what happens. The teams finishing third in their groups look good on paper but anyone that’s watched the likes of Barcelona, Ajax and Juve in the CL would know they are not all that! If we can’t beat these sides we may as well find our now rather than further down the line!
    Click to expand...
    Yeh I agree about that with the likes of those teams, it's the 2 extra games against them as opposed to finishing top and avoiding it that I'm more worried about.
     
    Doracle said:
    Away goals aren’t included anymore, so if the h2h is level (2-2 in your scenario) it goes to overall GD. We need to win 2-0.
    Click to expand...

    The criteria if the points are tied go down in this order:

    1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    5. Goal difference in all group matches;
    6. Goals scored in all group matches;
    7. Away goals scored in all group matches;
    8. Wins in all group matches;
    9. Away wins in all group matches;
    10. Disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
    11. UEFA club coefficient

    So if it ended 2-1 to us we would be tied from points 1 to 3, then at point 4 we would have scored 2 away goals to their 1 in H2H so 2-1 would in fact be enough.

    BUT we want a clean sheet! So lets aim for 2-0!!
     
    LordSpud said:
    The criteria if the points are tied go down in this order:

    1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    5. Goal difference in all group matches;
    6. Goals scored in all group matches;
    7. Away goals scored in all group matches;
    8. Wins in all group matches;
    9. Away wins in all group matches;
    10. Disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
    11. UEFA club coefficient

    So if it ended 2-1 to us we would be tied from points 1 to 3, then at point 4 we would have scored 2 away goals to their 1 in H2H so 2-1 would in fact be enough.

    BUT we want a clean sheet! So lets aim for 2-0!!
    Click to expand...
    This is outdated, away goals in head to head are irrelevant now
     
    LordSpud said:
    The criteria if the points are tied go down in this order:

    1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
    5. Goal difference in all group matches;
    6. Goals scored in all group matches;
    7. Away goals scored in all group matches;
    8. Wins in all group matches;
    9. Away wins in all group matches;
    10. Disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
    11. UEFA club coefficient

    So if it ended 2-1 to us we would be tied from points 1 to 3, then at point 4 we would have scored 2 away goals to their 1 in H2H so 2-1 would in fact be enough.

    BUT we want a clean sheet! So lets aim for 2-0!!
    Click to expand...

    Point 4 has been removed, so it goes straight to overall GD if the score across the two legs is 2-2. We need a 2-0 win to finish top.
     
    Unfortunately I just don’t see us scoring 2 goals at the moment never mind winning a game by 2 goals.

    I’m kind of hoping we rest some for the weekend game.
     
    It will be a tough test this. They're a very competent side and have an almost identical record to our own domestically. We should be able to go away and win here, but our record in Spain is appalling. We'll need to be very good and put away our chances when they come. I think we can and will do the job 0-2.
     
    An early dodgy penalty for us to even things out from the first encounter would be a decent start.

    Think we will do this 3-0.
     
    Thiagoal said:
    Personally, not too bothered about tonight! I’d rest some key players (Casemiro, Dalot, Rashford) and just see what happens. The teams finishing third in their groups look good on paper but anyone that’s watched the likes of Barcelona, Ajax and Juve in the CL would know they are not all that! If we can’t beat these sides we may as well find our now rather than further down the line!
    Click to expand...
    I often see views like that about tough cup draws, but it really overlooks the fact that it's not just about 'are we capable of winning those tough games each round?' It's also about how much those kind of tough games take out of the players physically - over the course of a season and, also, how they effect the energy levels for the league games either side of them. If you have tough draws all the way through it never allows you to rest top players, or coast through games, to help manage a season the way other teams benefit from.

    In a packed schedule like the one we're going to have post world cup, then it would be a huge benefit if we can skip a round and avoid having two extra games against pretty strong opposition.
     
    Last edited:
    Hopefully garnacho starts over elanga. Against a team that will sit deep elanga’s best attributes are nullified.
    Ronaldo will have to play regrettably, it’s hard to see us scoring twice even if they have a lot of injuries too.
    Hopefully we just go for it, no point in trying to nick a goal here or there, full frontal assault needed!
     
    Go strong and given our absences I'd like to see:


    DDG
    Dalot Lindelof Martinez Shaw
    Casemiro Eriksen
    Garnacho Bruno Rashford
    Ronaldo
    ​

    *Harry if Lindelof isn't fit and happy to drop Garnacho and push Bruno wide and use VDB where I expect us to see a lot of the ball.
     
    Gutted not to be out there at this one. 5.45pm KO, headache Friday inbound.

    Utd to do it 1-3 with a bit of drama to it I reckon. Even Ronaldo to score.
     
    Bertie Wooster said:
    I often see views like that about tough cup draws, but it really overlooks the fact that it's not just about 'are we capable of winning those tough games each round?' It's also about how much those kind of tough games take out of the players physically - over the course of a season and, also, how they effect the energy levels for the league games either side of them. If you have tough draws all the way through it never allows you to rest top players, or coast through games, to help manage a season the way other teams benefit from.

    In a packed schedule like the one we're going to have post world cup, then it would be a huge benefit if we can skip a round and avoid having two extra games against pretty strong opposition.
    Click to expand...
    Last season's Real Madrid was a freak in terms of getting the worst draws and going in a cup run to the title - usually even if the absolute freakishly strong sides (Pep's Bayern or Barcelona in the past) had to have some kind of luck in terms of draws to win their titles. The moment where they got into incredible hard draws, some days you just have off days and you drop out, despite even if you are ultra dominant in the season.

    So we must do everything we can today to win and hope for the best in terms of drawing during cup runs.
     
    AngeloHenriquez said:
    Go strong and given our absences I'd like to see:


    DDG
    Dalot Lindelof Martinez Shaw
    Casemiro Eriksen
    Garnacho Bruno Rashford
    Ronaldo
    ​

    *Harry if Lindelof isn't fit and happy to drop Garnacho and push Bruno wide and use VDB where I expect us to see a lot of the ball.
    Click to expand...
    Yeah, I'm torn between those two options - although I'm thinking of Fred, instead of VDB, if Bruno starts wide.

    Obviously Garnacho gives us a more direct, attacking option, but he's much more of a threat starting from the left cutting in onto his stronger foot. So, with the vacancy being on the right, I'm more inclined to go with Bruno there, and Fred starting, with Garnacho as an attacking option off the bench later in the game.

    Another option is Elanga starting wide right. But that would be my least preferred of the lot as his main asset is raw pace running into space and that will be largely nullified against a team who'll likely be sitting deep with a packed defence.
     
    Mibabalou said:
    We're on page 6 and not sure how exactly we finish first :lol:

    how would a casual fan keep up with this?
    Click to expand...
    Utd heap said:
    It's not rocket science mate is it. Utd have to win by two goals or more.

    Sorted.
    Click to expand...
    Yeah, not sure how any United fan would still be confused given how frequently it's been discussed and explained.

    Even during the game v Sheriff, I was desperate for that 4th goal - and gutted when McTominay's very late header was saved - as that would have put us through on goal difference with just a one goal win tonight.

    That ludicrously soft penalty v Sociedad, and the two frustrating games v Nicosia - when we hammered them over 180 minutes and somehow came out just +2 - have made this a very tricky task indeed.
     
    Last edited:
    Should be a good game really, we've got absolutely nothing to lose by going all out. Not that confident we'll win by enough, but slightly leaning towards it. 55/45
     
    If they come at us, and if we can be just a little bit clinical, we can score a couple.

    Keeping a clean sheet will be vital.

    At least we're still through to the next round if we don't finish first.
     
    Can we score 2 more goals than them? Not very encouraging given our recent scoring record.
     
    If we play as we did against Spurs and Chelsea we can win by enough goals - trouble is we could also pretty much fail to turn up at all. My feeling is once again I'll end up saying "why didn't we buy a centre forward in the summer".
     
    Only realised this is an earlier kickoff. That's me leaving work shortly to pick up some beers.

    It's f*cking great to look forward to Man Utd games again. I'm not enjoying the Europa this season but hopefully get the top spot tonight and onto more interesting knockout games in the new year.
     
    kafta said:
    If they come at us, and if we can be just a little bit clinical, we can score a couple.

    Keeping a clean sheet will be vital.

    At least we're still through to the next round if we don't finish first.
    Click to expand...
    They won't come at us though, will they? They know we have to win, so they can play on the counter, even if we go 1-0 up.
     
    Bertie Wooster said:
    Yeah, I'm torn between those two options - although I'm thinking of Fred, instead of VDB, if Bruno starts wide.

    Obviously Garnacho gives us a more direct, attacking option, but he's much more of a threat starting from the left cutting in onto his stronger foot. So, with the vacancy being on the right, I'm more inclined to go with Bruno there, and Fred starting, with Garnacho as an attacking option off the bench later in the game.

    Another option is Elanga starting wide right. But that would be my least preferred of the lot as his main asset is raw pace running into space and that will be largely nullified against a team who'll likely be sitting deep with a packed defence.
    Click to expand...

    My view was starting Garnacho on the right to get the in swinging cross and take advantage of the aerial threat we pose and bearing in mind Bruno is not available weekend it would be a good opportunity for Donny to play#10 before weekend.
     
    Bertie Wooster said:
    I often see views like that about tough cup draws, but it really overlooks the fact that it's not just about 'are we capable of winning those tough games each round?' It's also about how much those kind of tough games take out of the players physically - over the course of a season and, also, how they effect the energy levels for the league games either side of them. If you have tough draws all the way through it never allows you to rest top players, or coast through games, to help manage a season the way other teams benefit from.

    In a packed schedule like the one we're going to have post world cup, then it would be a huge benefit if we can skip a round and avoid having two extra games against pretty strong opposition.
    Click to expand...

    Also, like it or not, luck and coincidence factors heavily into the outcome of any individual game.
     
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Post-match discussion

Man of the Match

Lisandro Martinez image Lisandro Martinez 48% of 183 votes

Runners-up

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Player Ratings

5.7 Total Average Rating

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Compiled from 166 ratings.
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Score Predictions

161,17,35
  • Man Utd win
  • Real Sociedad win
  • Draw

Detailed Results

  • 29% Real Sociedad 0:2 Man Utd
  • 16% Real Sociedad 1:2 Man Utd
  • 13% Real Sociedad 1:1 Man Utd
  • 13% Real Sociedad 1:3 Man Utd
  • 7% Real Sociedad 0:1 Man Utd
  • 7% Real Sociedad 0:3 Man Utd
  • 2% Real Sociedad 0:0 Man Utd
  • 2% Real Sociedad 1:0 Man Utd
  • 2% Real Sociedad 2:1 Man Utd
  • 2% Real Sociedad 2:0 Man Utd
  • 1% Real Sociedad 1:4 Man Utd
  • 1% Real Sociedad 2:2 Man Utd
  • 1% Real Sociedad 0:5 Man Utd
  • 0% Real Sociedad 3:1 Man Utd
  • 0% Real Sociedad 4:0 Man Utd
  • 0% Real Sociedad 0:4 Man Utd
  • 0% Real Sociedad 5:0 Man Utd
  • 0% Real Sociedad 1:5 Man Utd
  • 0% Real Sociedad 8:0 Man Utd
Compiled from 213 predictions.
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Match Stats

  1. Real Sociedad
  2. Man Utd
Possession
47% 53%
Shots
13 4
Shots on Target
4 1
Corners
5 2
Fouls
5 11

Referee

Georgi Kabakov

Man Utd Lineup

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