On Thursday evening, the final match of the group stage of the Europa League features Manchester United taking on Real Sociedad.
United had their penultimate group game against FC Sheriff at Old Trafford last week. They were able to cruise to a 3-0 victory over the Moldovan champions thanks to goals scored by Diogo Dalot, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Marcus Rashford. United is currently in first place in the competition.
The Reds currently sit in second place in their Europa League group behind Real Sociedad, who have 15 points to their name. United must defeat Real Sociedad in Spain by a margin of two goals in order to guarantee themselves the top spot in the group. Manager Erik ten Hag is extremely motivated to win the group.
United will play a club that finished third in the group stage of the Champions League in the Round of 32 if they advance that far in the Europa League. Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Juventus are all potential opponents for that stage of the competition. If United finishes second in their Europa League group, they will play that club.
Samuel Luckhurst
Because of the disarray that the majority of teams that were kicked out of the Champions League are in, it is possible that United's failure to win their group would not necessarily be a catastrophe for the club, but they should still choose the strongest team they can.
There should be no changes to the back five, and given how important Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are, it makes sense to keep them both. Marcus Rashford is required to play this weekend, and Bruno Fernandes might as well start since he is going to be suspended, but Ronaldo's track record against Sociedad is exceptional (15 goals in nine games).
The only position that can be altered is the one on the right, and despite the fact that playing right wing is not Alejandro Garnacho's preferred position, if he is successful in this role, he will do Manchester United a tremendous service.
Tyrone Marshall
This season, De Gea has started every game for United, and that streak will continue in Spain. I would also name an unchanged back four for United's lineup if I were naming it. They defended well on Sunday and will need to be at their best again tonight in order for Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, and Shaw to keep their places in the lineup. Malacia could come back in, but they defended well on Sunday.
Given the caliber of his recent displays, Casemiro is also an absolute lock to start at holding midfield. Given that Fernandes will be out on Sunday due to suspension, it is obvious that Eriksen will start in the midfield against Real Sociedad. To round out that trio, United will need goals, so it is important that Eriksen contribute.
As this is the first time this season that Ronaldo has played consecutive 90-minute games, and as Martial is not in the squad, he is able to keep his starting position. Because Sancho is not available, Rashford and Elanga are the most likely candidates to play on the wing. Because this game is more important than the one we played last week, Garnacho might be called upon to contribute off the bench.
Steven Railston
Given that Antony will once again be unable to play due to an injury, it would be prudent for Ten Hag to stick with the same starting lineup that defeated West Ham at the weekend in this matchup. Ten Hag has established a pattern this season of being reluctant to change a winning team.
As Lindelof was not feeling well on Sunday, Harry Maguire has the opportunity to take over for Lindelof as the central defender.
It would be helpful if Ronaldo extended his impressive record of scoring 15 goals in 10 matches against Real Sociedad on Thursday night. Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in his 10 matches against Real Sociedad. It will be difficult for this United side to win their group because they need a victory by a margin of at least two goals.
