Manchester United will renew their acquaintances with Real Sociedad when they travel to Spain to resume their Europa League campaign.
Real Sociedad have become a bit of a regular opponent for Manchester United in the last few years, with the club being drawn in the same group in the 2022/23 season.
The circumstances from then to now couldn’t be more different, with Ruben Amorim struggling so much that United can’t even be called outright favourites for this one.
However, to the relief of Man Utd manager, Sociedad face the exact same big problem as the Old Trafford outfit, which means the result of the game will be decided by which team is “less worse” in that area.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Man Utd and Real Sociedad share same problem
One is a team on pace to finish their worst-ever Premier League season and the other is a team that’s ninth in the table after losing their core in the summer to the big sharks.
Considering those circumstances, it is easy to reach the conclusion that both teams have many problems but a cursory glance at the league table in Spain and England makes one thing clear.
Man Utd have scored 33 goals in 27 games, only five teams have been worse while Sociedad have scored just 23 times in 26 games, the worst record in the Spanish top flight.
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Remarkably, both teams are undershooting their xG (Expected goals) by nine and ten respectively, proving that chance finishing is a bigger issue than chance creation.
Therein lies the factor that will decide the result of the game. Who can hold their nerve when the ball falls to their feet, ready to be struck into the net?
Ruben Amorim needs European version of Rasmus Hojlund
It has been a running theme for Rasmus Hojlund ever since he joined the club that he’s found it easier to score in Europe than in the Premier League.
He was lethal even in the Champions League last season when he couldn’t buy a goal in the league after signing in the summer.
The same has been the case this season in the Europa League, scoring five in eight games compared to a paltry two in 22 league games.
With both teams struggling to find the back of the net, the European version of Hojlund arriving here can make all the difference for Manchester United.
This is again a similarity shared with Sociedad because they’ve scored 20 times in ten European games, so they clearly prefer the European lights too.
The two teams couldn’t be more similar, so the team that shakes off its bad habit for this one while retaining their good one will emerge victorious.