DOOM and gloom has turned into hope and joy for Manchester United in the last few weeks and they head into this Europa League opener against Real Sociedad with their tails up.
New boss Erik ten Hag must have wondered what he'd let himself in for after a 4-0 battering by Brentford made it back-to-back defeats for his side in their first two Premier League games.
But the response since then has been terrific, with a rousing 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool followed by three more wins against Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal.
The Dutchman has also added experience and flair to his squad, at considerable expense, with the signings of Casemiro and Antony in the final few weeks of the transfer window.
With Cristiano Ronaldo staying put, Manchester United now have serious strength in depth and fans are beginning to think Ten Hag might be capable of lifting them out of the doldrums.
The Europa League isn't where United want to be playing but it's a tournament they stand a chance of winning after losing the final two years ago when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge.
With Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia making up the rest of Group E it would be a major surprise if United and Sociedad failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
The Basque club have been regulars in Europe in recent seasons and have started quite well in La Liga, with their only defeat coming to Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid could only manage a draw in San Sebastian at the weekend so Manchester United will need to play well to defeat Real Sociedad and lay down an early marker in the group.
How the bookies view it
Given their recent resurgence, it's no surprise to see Manchester United as odds-on favourites and their best price is 4/6 at BoyleSports. Real Sociedad are 9/2 with Bet365 while the draw pays 16/5 at VBet.
Head to head
These sides have faced off four times before, with all those meetings coming in the last eight years. United are unbeaten with two wins and two draws. It ended 0-0 when Real Sociedad last came to Old Trafford in the Europa League knockout stages but that was effectively a dead rubber after United won 4-0 in Spain in the first leg.
Players to watch
Ten Hag will rotate his squad for this one and Ronaldo is set to start for the first time since that 4-0 hammering by Brentford. He has looked pretty sharp off the bench in recent weeks and is 11/10 at Unibet for anytime scorer which looks good value.
Takefusa Kubo was signed by Real Madrid as a kid and has spent the last few seasons out on loan at Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe. He now has a permanent home at Real Sociedad and that could bring the best of the Japanese starlet. He has scored already this season and is 13/2 at Bet365 for a goal at Old Trafford.
Anything else catch the eye?
Betting against goals backfired for me when Manchester United beat Arsenal but Sociedad's stats this season suggest there won't be thrills at both ends here. They haven't scored more than once in any game this season and have drawn a blank in all four of their meetings with United. That makes betting against BTTS a good shout here at 23/20 with BetVictor while a Man United clean sheet is an even better price at 29/20 with Coral.
Harry Maguire will also come in from the cold for this one but he still looks short of confidence. The England defender was booked against Arsenal after being beaten for pace and another yellow card here appeals at 2/1 with Bet365.
This UEFA Europa League match between Manchester United and Real Sociedad will be played on Sep 8, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester United vs Real Sociedad prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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