Real Sociedad are within touching distance of securing a place in the UEFA Europa League last-16 as they host Midtjylland in their playoff second leg. The Spaniards hold a 2-1 lead from the first meeting and given a strong home record in Europe, they will be confident of finishing the job.
Fresh from that victory in Denmark, Real Sociedad suffered a 3-0 La Liga defeat to Real Betis last Sunday. They will be looking to bounce back in Europe and head into Thursday’s clash with a solid home record, winning eight of their last 11 matches at Reale Arena.
Real Sociedad have built their recent home form on a sturdy defence, keeping clean sheets in seven of their last 11 matches in all competitions. Imanol Alguacil’s men have also kept clean sheets in their last three home matches in the Europa League.
Midtjylland are coming off a 1-0 victory over Lyngby in the Danish Superliga, ending a run of two matches without a win. They will hope to carry that form into Thursday’s clash having struggled in Europe.
The Danes are winless in five of their last six matches in the Europa League, suffering four defeats in that run. Thomas Thomasberg’s men have also lost two of their last three away matches in the competition, failing to score in both defeats.
How the bookies view it: Sociedad in control
Real Sociedad have the upper hand among the bookies with BoyleSports offering odds of 4/9 for a home win. Midtjylland are valued at 5/1 for a victory while a draw is priced at 3/1.
Head to head: Hosts on top
Real Sociedad’s 2-1 reverse fixture win was the first meeting between the two sides.
Players to watch: In-form Mendez
Real Sociedad’s midfielder, Brais Mendez is in decent goalscoring form, having found the net in three of his last four matches. He could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 11/4 with BoyleSports.
Nayef Aguerd has been at the heart of Real Sociedad’s solid defense helping the team to three consecutive clean sheets. He can lead the team to another clean sheet at odds of 20/21 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Jon Pacheco is still out injured while Martin Zubimendi and Jon Aramburu will both miss this game due to suspensions from the first leg. Beñat Turrientes could replace Zubimendi in the starting line-up while Luka Sucic, Sergio Gómez and Briaz Mendez are expected to maintain their places in the team.
Midtjylland will be without Cho Gue-Song, Kristoffer Olsson, Oliver Sørensen and Marrony Silva for the trip to Spain. However, Adam Buksa who scored their only goal in the reverse fixture is fit enough to start.
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Munoz, Aguerd, Zubeldia, Martin, Sucic, Mendez, Turrientes, Gomez, Oyarzabal, Becker
Midtjylland: Lossl, Andersson, Diao, Sorensen, Paulinho, Castillo, Dani Silva, Byskov, Osorio, Buska, Simsir
Anything else catch eye?
Real Sociedad have won their last three home games in the Europa league to nil and a repeat is expected at 13/10 with BoyleSports. The Spaniards’ last two games have produced over 9.5 corners, including the reverse fixture between the two sides. It is an option worth considering with BoyleSports offering odds of 20/23 for this outcome.
The hosts have scored in both halves in their last two Europa League home matches and a similar result is priced at 6/4 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Europa League match between Real Sociedad and Midtjylland will be played on Feb 20, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Sociedad vs Midtjylland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
