An image showing the inside of Old Trafford under the floodlights with the Manchester United and Real Sociedad crests layered over the top in a central position.
Manchester United take on Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
Manchester United will be hoping to advance to the quarter-finals of the Europa League when they welcome Real Sociedad to Old Trafford for the second-leg of their last-16 tie tonight, kick-off 8pm.
The two sides met in San Sebastián a week ago and played out a 1-1 draw, meaning everything is still to play for heading into tonight's showdown. Sociedad earned themselves a draw last week after Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty to cancel out Joshua Zirkzee's opener.
Sitting 14th in the Premier League table and out of both domestic cup competitions, United need to win the Europa League to salvage something from what has otherwise been a forgettable campaign. Winning the competition would secure Champions League qualification for next term.
United could welcome midfield enforcer Manuel Ugarte back into the fold tonight after missing the last two games through injury. However, Leny Yoro will be unavailable for selection, likewise fellow defender Harry Maguire.
If tonight's contest is level after 90 minutes, the tie will go to extra-time and potentially penalties to determine who will progress.
Follow the LIVE blog below for all of the pre-match build-up, analysis and much more...
16:15George Smith
How to watch United vs Sociedad
Tonight's Europa League clash between United and Sociedad at Old Trafford will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK.
The game will be screened live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning a whole hour before kick-off at 7pm. In the event of the tie being decided after 90 minutes, coverage will conclude at 10.30pm.
If you do not have access to TNT Sports, you can subscribe to TNT Sports via discovery+.
Alternatively, you can listen to full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live or MUTV, or you can follow live text updates on this LIVE blog.
(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images.)
Comments
16:00George Smith
OPINION: How United should line up vs Sociedad
Ahead of tonight's crunch Europa League tie at Old Trafford, our writers have each had their say on how they would like to see United line up:
Victor Lindelof will start but he shouldn't. Ayden Heaven is raw but has had two good games for United and Matthijs de Ligt should be in the middle of the back three.
Manuel Ugarte is the more mobile of the defensive midfielders and will have known for a while he was coming back for this tie. He is also developing a promising partnership with Bruno Fernandes in midfield.
Patrick Dorgu should come back in and so should Rasmus Hojlund after Joshua Zirkzee failed as a No.9 against Arsenal. Hojlund made a pig's ear of his first chance off the bench but his movement for the second chance is a modicum of encouragement.
Tyrone Marshall:
Injuries are still an issue for Ruben Amorim and with Leny Yoro not fit he is close to being at the stage where the squad picks itself. You wouldn't worry about starting Heaven after his performance on Sunday, but Patrick Dorgu's return means Noussair Mazraoui can fill in for Yoro in the centre of defence.
Ugarte has to start and I would be tempted to keep Fernandes alongside him, but Casemiro has played better in Europe and the tempo suits him. He played well in the first leg. That means Fernandes can play higher up alongside Alejandro Garnacho.
That allows Zirkzee to drop to the bench and United do need to keep some attacking threat for later in the game if required. Hojlund leads the line and how desperately he needs a goal.
George Smith:
With Dorgu back available for selection, he should be a shoo-in at left wing-back, allowing Diogo Dalot to revert to the right flank. That means Mazraoui should move into the middle and start on the right of the back three amid the absence of Yoro.
Heaven looked solid when he came off the bench on Sunday, offering a promising glimpse into the future, but Lindelof is more experienced and that could be key for a game of such importance.
In midfield, Ugarte has to start and I would like to see him operate next to Fernandes. The latter has offered United more from a deeper position recently.
Options are limited in attack, meaning there is not much scope for Amorim to mix things up. I would recall Hojlund and push Zirkzee back into one of the two No.10 positions after struggling as the No.9 against Arsenal.
Comments
George Smith
Good afternoon!
How are the nerves? Tonight's game is the biggest of United's season by some distance, meaning immense levels of pressure are on the players to deliver.
United need to win tonight to keep their season alive and maintain their dream of winning a first European trophy since 2017.
As ever, we will have updates and analysis for you throughout the evening on this LIVE blog.
There is no need to refresh the page, updates will appear automatically.
(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images.)