Champions League preview: Manchester United v Real Sociedad

Old Trafford, Manchester

Wednesday 23rd October 2013 – KO 7:45pm live on Super Sports

Referee: Bas Nijhuis  (NED)

Assistant Referees: Rob van de Ven  (NED) , Charles Schaap  (NED)

Fourth Official: Hessel Steegstra  (NED)

David Moyes will attempt to get Manchester United’s stuttering start to the season on track as the Reds entertain Champions League Group A whipping boys Real Sociedad on Wednesday night. The Spanish outfit have enjoyed an even worse start to the season than United, winning only two games out of nine in La Liga and losing both Champions League games so far.

This is the sort of game where excuses for David Moyes simply won’t be tolerated and considering the United boss rested a decent amount of players on Saturday there’s no where to run for him should the Reds fail to win. Let’s not be negative though, Moyes knows what he’s doing and hopefully his side on Wednesday will reflect that.

United face the basque side in a double-header over the next fortnight and obtaining six points will be what manager David Moyes aims to do. Fresh from signing his new five-year contract, Belgian born Adnan Januzaj has been added to United UEFA Champions League squad as a ‘B List’ player, which means he is eligible to play in the remaining four groups stage matches and the remainder of the tournament, should United qualify.

United could be without Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley, who all missed training today at the clubs AON Training Complex in Carrington. Obviously Moyes could draft in some of the missing players, but United have a more than adequate squad to cover the missing players. It is not as if both Ferdinand and Vidic are at the top of their game at the moment.

Speaking about this fixture, Real Sociedad coach Jogoba Arrasate, speaking to UEFA.com said:

“Knowing what Manchester United and their stadium represents, that’s the game the team is most looking forward to, as well as the fans and everyone else

“I don’t need to explain who Manchester United are. They’re a historic club, everybody here – players and supporters – are excited about facing them. Everybody is eager to travel to Manchester and experience Old Trafford. We know it’ll be difficult, but we’ll have our chances.”

Players to watch:

Adnan Januzaj: The Belgian born winger could make his UEFA Champions League debut tonight at Old Trafford. The 18-year-old has been added into David Moyes squad for the competition. Januzaj adds that burst of pace that United need at the moment and is a way better option that Ashley Young at present, who could be on his way out of the club during the next transfer window. This could be a big week for the Belgian, who signed a five-year contract last weekend.

Carlos Vela: The former Arsenal striker could face former team-mate Robin van Persie in this fixture. The Mexican, who has not featured for his country since 2011 will be up for trying to show United up, especially when their last few results have not been as good as they could have been. He will be up for putting more pressure on Moyes, but after two matches in this competition this season and two losses, the odds are against anything other than a United victory.

Quotes from David Moyes:

“Sociedad are here because they finished in the top four in Spain, which is a great achievement. We have great respect for them for that. Maybe we’d have liked to start the season a bit better and they’ll come here trying to do well. So we know it will be a difficult game. I’m sure they’re expecting a difficult match as well.

“I watched them a lot last year and was really impressed by how well they’ve done. The loss of one or two players has made it harder for them this year and maybe the expectations have been much bigger. The games I’ve watched I’ve been impressed. They change their style – sometimes with one defensive midfielder, sometimes with two. They had a good result at Valencia on Saturday night and we have to be mindful of what they can do. Old Trafford is a big place to come and play football but it’s also an enjoyable place to play football. We hope they don’t enjoy it too much.”

Manchester United Form:

Last six matches: Southampton 1-1 D, Sunderland 2-1 W, Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 D, West Bromwich Albion 2-1 L, Liverpool 1-0 W, Manchester City 4-1 L

Real Sociedad Form:

Last six matches: Valencia 2-1 W, Rayo Vallecano 1-0 L, Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 L, Sevilla 1-1 D, Barcelona 4-1 L, Malaga 0-0 D

Manchester United v Real Sociedad in the UEFA Champions League:

Manchester United and Real Sociedad have never played each other in this competition and have not faced each other in a competitive match.

Predicted line-up: De Gea, Rafael, Jones, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley, Kagawa, Rooney, van Persie

Predicted line-up: Bravo, Martinez, Gonzalez, Martinez, Bella, Bergara, Prieto, Vela, Zurutuza, Griezmann, Seferovic

Score prediction: United 3-1 Real Sociedad

Do you agree this will be the United line up? What do you think it should be? Feel free to let us know below: