Real Sociedad vs PSV

Real Sociedad and PSV Eindhoven will battle it out for progression from UEFA Europa League Group B at Reale Arena.

It’s a ‘make or break’ fixture for Real Sociedad, who can ill-afford not to win here if they are to qualify for the Europa League knock-outs. Sat two points adrift of second-placed Lyon, the ‘Txuri Urdin’ have only won one of their five Group B matches so far (D3, L1), courtesy of a 1-0 victory at Sturm Graz on Matchday 3. Both Sociedad’s home Europa League fixtures this season have seen them come from a 1-0 HT deficit to draw 1-1, a scoreline witnessed in three of their last six competitive outings at Reale Arena. A 2-0 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid over the weekend halted Sociedad’s nine-game unbeaten home streak across all competitions this term (W4, D5). Despite their solid home form, Imanol Alguacil’s men have yet to score more than once at Reale Arena this season.

On the other hand, a brace of multi-goal wins over Sturm Graz could prove enough for PSV to reach the Europa League knock-outs (D2, L1), as a draw here will do the trick. However, parity has rarely been an option for PSV away from home in the Europa League, with just one of their last ten travels in the competition ending level (W4, D1, L5). After conceding an average of 1.66 goals per game across their opening three Europa League games, the Dutch heavyweights have kept a clean sheet in their last two outings in the competition. That’s a noticeable defensive improvement, especially considering they’ve conceded at least once in six of their previous seven road trips in all competitions. Yet, a lack of scoring prowess has seen PSV draw a blank in two of their last four competitive away games, scoring precisely once in one of the other two.