Real Sociedad will return to La Liga action on Sunday when they play Sevilla at home after playing Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday.
The visitors are only one point behind the hosts in 12th place going into the weekend, while the hosts are in ninth place.
Real Sociedad will feel conflicted about their Europa League matchup with Manchester United on Thursday because, although they were able to salvage a draw in the first leg of their last-16 match, they were ultimately unable to take full advantage of home advantage.
Mikel Oyarzabal equalized from the penalty spot after Bruno Fernandes was sent off for handball after Joshua Zirkzee gave Man United the lead in the 57th minute. Although Brais Mendez and Orri Oskarsson had the opportunity to win the match, the Basque team had to settle for a 1-1 scoreline, leaving the tie perfectly balanced ahead of Thursday's return leg at Old Trafford.
Real Sociedad, who have been in the top six in each of the last five seasons, will still look to clinch the best position even though additional European spots may become available.
Imanol Alguacil will be eager for his team to turn things around after a disappointing stretch, losing five of their last seven league games. Their most recent setback was a crushing 4-0 defeat against Barcelona, where they played most of the match with 10 men following Aritz Elustondo's red card in the 17th minute.
However, they can draw encouragement from their strong home form, having secured victory in three of their last four league matches at Reale Arena (L1).
Sevilla, currently in the bottom half of the table, still harbor hopes of securing European qualification, as they trail local rivals Real Betis by just five points for the sixth spot. Despite losing only one of their last eight matches, frustration lingers due to five of those games ending in draws, including their most recent fixtures against Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano.
In their home game against Mallorca, Sevilla conceded a stoppage-time equalizer to settle for a draw, and they faced a similar outcome in their trip to Vallecas last Saturday. In that match, Dodi Lukebakio’s 81st-minute equalizer salvaged a point after Andrei Ratiu had opened the scoring for Rayo Vallecano. This result extended Sevilla’s unbeaten away run in La Liga to four matches (W2, D2), with their last away defeat dating back to a 4-2 loss to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in December.
However, extending their unbeaten away streak will be a tough challenge, as Sevilla have struggled against Real Sociedad in recent encounters. They have lost four of their last five meetings with La Real, including a 2-1 defeat in each of their last two visits to the Reale Arena. This has extended Sevilla’s winless run in away head-to-head matches to three games, with their last victory at Real Sociedad’s ground coming in April 2021. On that occasion, goals from Fernando and Youssef En-Nesyri secured a 2-1 win.
