UEFA Europa League - Midtjylland VS Real Sociedad Preview
UEFA Europa League - Midtjylland VS Real Sociedad
Match Time:14-02-2025 01:45 Friday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Midtjylland
Given the change in the format of European competitions, Midtjylland's advancement to the Europa League playoffs did not come as a surprise. Two years ago, the "Wolves" also progressed from the group stage and reached the knockout matches, where they lost 1:5 on aggregate to Sporting Lisbon. This stage can generally be equated to the round of 16 in previous tournaments, which at one time was Midtjylland's highest achievement on the international stage. This occurred in the 2015-16 season when the Danes emerged from a group that included Napoli, Brugge, and Legia, but in the playoffs, they fell to Manchester United (3:6 on aggregate).
The current European season saw Thomas Thomasberg’s team start in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds and it was expected they would be playing in that competition's stage. However, in the playoff round, the Danes unexpectedly lost 3:4 to Slovakian side Slovan. In the Europa League, the "Wolves" had a fairly decent start, accumulating seven points in their first three matches – a last-gasp draw with Hoffenheim (1:1), a confident 2:0 victory over Israeli Maccabi, and a home win of 1:0 against Belgian Union.
However, a streak of three consecutive losses followed – the "Wolves" fell 0:2 away to Romanian FCSB and Portuguese Porto, and suffered a 1:2 defeat at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. To qualify for the playoffs, they needed points in two January matches, and Thomas Thomasberg’s team successfully rose to the challenge – winning 2:0 in Bulgaria against Ludogorets and salvaging a draw at home against Fenerbahce thanks to a late equalizer from substitute Waldemar Biskup – 2:2. The Dane leveled the score in the 86th minute of the match and had previously scored the winner against the Bulgarians. Thus, Midtjylland finished in 20th place with 11 points, one ahead of PAOK, Twente, Fenerbahce, Braga, and Elfsborg. The latter two missed the playoffs due to poorer goal difference.
Real Sociedad
In recent years, "Churi-urdin" have qualified for the knockout rounds of European competitions, but have not progressed beyond the round of 16. The highest achievement for La Real remains reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in the 1988-89 season, where they lost on penalties to future finalists Stuttgart. This year, the round of 16 could also mark the end of the line for Imanol Alguacil’s team in the Europa League. In their matchup against the Danes, the Basques are likely to prevail, but they would then face English clubs Tottenham or Manchester United. Nevertheless, both present a level of inconsistency, so there is room for optimism. However, first, they must get past Midtjylland.
As a result of the group stage, Real Sociedad accrued 13 points and finished in 13th place overall, losing out to Ajax on goal difference, but edging ahead of Galatasaray. The previous round saw "Churi-urdin" start with a draw away against Nice, which seemed a positive result at the time, as no one could foresee how far the French team would drop in the final standings, becoming one of the worst teams of the stage. They suffered further defeats by 1:2 at home to Anderlecht and away to Viktoria in Czechia, a nervy win on neutral ground over Maccabi, and two crucial victories before the winter break – 2:0 over Ajax and 3:0 over Kyiv's Dynamo. In January, La Real suffered a disappointing 1:3 defeat away to the eventual group stage winners Lazio, but in their last match, they cruised to a 2:0 victory at home against Greek PAOK.
Following the triumph over the Greeks, Imanol Alguacil's side lost 1:2 away to Osasuna, marking their third consecutive defeat in La Liga. However, last week, Real Sociedad avenged their previous misfortunes against the Pamplona side, winning 2:0 to advance to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they will face Madrid's Real in two encounters. Last weekend, the Basques managed to end their losing streak in the league with a 2:1 victory over Espanyol, raising them to seventh place in the La Liga table.
FC Midtjylland possible starting lineup:
Lossl; Mbabu, Diao, Bech Sorensen, Paulinho; Byskov, Andersson, Sorensen; Osorio, Simsir, Buksa
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Elustondo, Aguerd, Lopez; Zubimendi; Kubo, Sucic, Mendez, Gomez; Oyarzabal
Midtjylland vs Real Sociedad Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
This will be the first-ever meeting between Midtjylland and Real Sociedad, who will both be looking to begin their rivalry on a positive note.
Midtjylland are unbeaten in their most recent four matches across all competitions, claiming three wins and one draw since a 2-0 defeat against Porto on December 12.
Real Sociedad have lost all but one of their five away matches across all competitions, with a 2-0 victory over Ponferradina on January 5 being the exception.
Midtjylland are unbeaten in 13 of their 15 competitive home games this season, picking up 10 wins and three draws so far.
Prediction: FC Midtjylland 1-1 Real Sociedad
Midtjylland will be looking to make full use of home advantage on Thursday, but after winning just one of their four home games in the league phase, we think that they could experience more frustration in front of their own supporters because we believe that Real Sociedad will do enough to hold their hosts to a draw.
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