Man United take on Real Sociedad in the second leg of the Round of 32 in the Europa League this midweek and Solskjaer’s men could be in for one of their easiest nights of the season.
United go into this game with a 4-0 advantage from the first leg and there’s a big chance their manager might opt to heavily rotate his starting line-up for Thursday’s game. This might help Real Sociedad to creep back into the tie but according to Andy Mitten, the La Liga side will themselves have one eye on their domestic campaign.
“I don’t think any of [the Real Sociedad players] expect to go through, at all,” Mitten told Manutd.com.
“Maybe United will field some players who need minutes, rather than the absolute strongest team. It’s a really difficult one to predict because a) the team United will play [is uncertain] and b) what will the Basques do themselves?
“They’ve got important league games coming up. They’re sixth in the table. They’ve fallen away from being first and they need that top six finish because Real Betis, who are managed by [former Manchester City and West Ham boss] Manuel Pellegrini, they’re really in-form. They want that Europa League place.
“Real Sociedad are well-funded and have got a beautiful stadium. It’s a huge shame United fans were not able to go there but at least we went in 2013.
“Champions League [qualification] is something that happens to them once in a generation, but the Europa League is something that they’re expected to reach.
“They’ve got a brilliant youth system and they’ve brought players in like David Silva not because they wanted to give him a swansong but because they wanted to push towards the Champions League. The league domestically is really important to them.”
Real Sociedad are currently fifth on the league table with 41 points and right after the Man United game, they have an all-important game vs Real Madrid in the La Liga.
And given how it’s nearly impossible for them to claw down a 4-0 deficit, the Spanish side might opt to field a second-string side themselves, making it, even more, easier for Man United.
