It’s nearly a year to the day since United last played a Europa League away game in front of a crowd when we travelled to Belgium to face Club Brugge on 20th February 2020. I don’t remember too much about the 1-1 draw but I do remember that I watched the second-half on delay due to coaching kids football between 7pm-8pm.
A year on and I would probably be doing the same tomorrow evening with the kick-off time once again 5.55pm, but due to life as we currently know it and no kids football I’ll be sat in front of my TV as usual. Rather than not having to avoid the second-half score by avoiding people after coaching and then dashing straight home to watch it as live after recording it.
On Thursday then, we face Real Sociedad, a team we have only been drawn against once before when a certain David Moyes was manager and we faced them in the Champions League group stages of 2013. We topped the group that season but there wasn’t much to report from the two games against the team from San Sebastián.
We won the Old Trafford game 1-0 thanks to a Inigo Martinez own goal and then draw 0-0 at their place, after Robin van Persie missed a penalty in the second-half. His second missed penalty for United at the time. He’d go on to miss three in total. Marouane Fellaini was also sent-off in that game for a second-yellow, but that came late on into injury time and that saw Real Sociedad pick up their only point of the group stages. Whilst we finished top on 14 points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively.
Other than Phil Jones, the only United player still at Old Trafford and who actually played in those two games in 2013 is David de Gea and he’ll certainly be looking for another couple of clean-sheets across theses two legs. Will he play tomorrow though, with Dean Henderson waiting for another chance? Of course, Adnan Januzaj was at United at the time after bursting on the scene that season, he was only the bench for the Old Trafford tie but never featured.
They’ll also be no re-visit to San Sebastián for De Gea and United though, as due to the Spanish government’s travel restrictions the game has been moved to Italy and the Juventus Allianz Stadium in Turin. A stadium that is only about 10 years old but a number of current United players know quite well, having beat Juventus themselves there back in November 2018 in the Champions League thanks to two very late goals.
Juan Mata put away a free-kick in the 86th minute to draw us level and wipe out Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal twenty minutes earlier. Then with the added pressure and attacking play straight away from United, Alex Sandro put the ball into the back of his own net which saw Mourinho strut onto the pitch to celebrate after being taunted all night by the Juventus supporters.
A great win at the time that eventually allowed us to finish second in the group behind Juventus, but as it turned out it was Jose’s last ever away win in any competition for us with him being sacked just over a month later.
Not long after was when Ole came in and here we are now. The football is better, the atmosphere around the club seems better, the future looks better and I believe United are still in a much better place overall than we ever were under the three previous managers. Mourinho included, despite the trophies he won with us.
Yes Solskjær will make more mistakes, yes players will have more off games and yes the team will lose more games, but as long as there looks to be continued signs of United improving all the time. Then we’re heading in the right direction in my opinion. Enjoy the game tonight. I think there will be goals for both sides so I’ll predict a 1-1 draw, but I’m hoping for 1-2 United win.
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