Sheriff and Real Sociedad face off on Thursday in a Group E Europa League Soccer showdown at Zimbru Stadium.
Sheriff currently sits tied for second place in the standings, having picked up three points. Their last Europa League game came against Manchester United on September 15th, and they didn’t look very good in that game. The offense couldn’t get on the board while the defense gave up two goals. They only had 31 percent of the possession and two shots on target. FC Sheriff faced off against Sfintul Gheorghe on Sunday, and the offense scored three goals on the way to the victory. Sheriff has a near-healthy team coming into this game, and they should have all their key players on the pitch.
On the other side of this matchup is Real Sociedad, and they sit in 1st place in the group having picked up six points. They faced off against Omonia on September 15th, and they were able to secure the 2-1 victory in that game. They had four shots on goal and 70 percent of the possession. Even though they only won by a goal, it was a very dominating performance. On Sunday, Real Sociedad faced off against Girona, and they were able to secure the 5-3 victory. Alexander Sorloth started the scoring in the 8th minute, and he finished with two goals. Asier Illarramendi and Ander Guevara are all both expected to move into the starting lineup for this game. Carlos Fernandez is also expected to make his first start since April 2021 after recovering from a ligament injury.
Sheriff might be competitive in the first half, but I just don’t think they have enough talent to keep this game close. Real Sociedad is an elite offensive team, and they are going to have no issue running up the score in this game. Look for Real Sociedad to score three or four goals and that will be enough to get the job done. Back Real Sociedad on the money line.