MANCHESTER UNITED may have already qualified for the next round of the Europa League, but there are two good reasons why they could do with a comprehensive win at Real Sociedad on Thursday.
The Spaniards went to Old Trafford in September on Matchday One and surprisingly defeated Erik ten Hag's side 1-0 and United will want to gain revenge for that loss.
But they sit three goals behind the Basque side and a reversal of that win won't be enough to see them top the group because they are three goals behind on goal difference.
So United must win by two goals to seal first place and that's hugely important. The eight group winners in the Europa League will automatically qualify for the Round of 16, while the runners-up will endure a two-legged play-off against one of the third-placed Champions League teams in February.
United could do without that and they continued their recent progression with a one-goal win over West Ham United at the weekend. There's little doubt they are finally heading in the right direction albeit, they will have setbacks along the way.
The San Sebastian side are in fifth place in La Liga, but have lost their last two league games to Valladolid and Real Betis.
How the bookies view it
Real Sociedad don't need the win to top the group and even a one-goal defeat is enough as stated, so there's no surprise that Manchester United are favourites at 6/5 with SportNation.
The hosts are 9/4 with bet365 to complete the double and the draw is 5/2 with William Hill.
Recent head to heads
As discussed, Sociedad won 1-0 in England in September thanks to a penalty from Brais Mendez.
However, United played Sociedad last year and won 4-0, although the game was played in neutral Italy.
Players to watch
Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth has five goals for the season and the on-loan RB Leipzig forward is 23/10 with William Hill to score.
Marcus Rashford could never be described as prolific but he's on seven goals for the season including the winner on Sunday. He is 5/2 to score in Spain with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
It's an intriguing contest because of the unusual permutations of Sociedad being able to settle for a one-goal loss to achieve their objectives.
United are in good form and Sociedad have hit something of a slump, so you would be happy to take an away win at odds-against. Plenty will be on United to cover that -1 handicap at 10/3 with Paddy Power, but it's a big ask against a team who won eight games in a row in all competitions in September and October.
Sociedad are unlikely to want to go gung-ho here and it's worth going for the under 2.5 goals at 57/50 with UniBet. Sociedad's last four games have all been unders along with five of United's last six games.
This UEFA Europa League match between Real Sociedad and Manchester United will be played on Nov 3, 2022 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Real Sociedad vs Manchester United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.