Man Utd v Real Sociedad Odds : United to pour more misery on Spanish side
Manchester United are strong 8/15 favourites to beat debutants Real Sociedad as Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk meet in a closely fought Group A.
Despite struggling in the Premier League, Manchester United have enjoyed a good start to their Champions league campaign and will hope to take a step towards qualification with a win against Spanish side Real Sociedad.
Man Utd  |
8/15 |
Draw  |
7/2 |
| Sociadad |
6/1 |
United are joint top in Group A so far having remained unbeaten in their first two games picking up a win and a draw including an impressive 4-2 drubbing of Bayer Leverkusen in the opening game.
David Moyes will be closely monitoring the fitness of both Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to see whether the defensive stalwarts will be able to play a part in the game having missed the 1-1 draw with Southampton at the weekend due to their injuries.
Tom Cleverley will be a definite absentee for the tie with a calf injury although Scottish midfielder Darren
Fletcher could make a shock return to the squad after he resumed training on Monday following his stomach problems that has kept him away from the sport for the past 2 years.
Real Sociedad’s first venture into the Champions League has been tough with the La Liga side sitting bottom of the group having lost their opening two games.
The Spanish side have received a massive confidence boost thanks to the return of midfield ace Xabi Prieto who made his comeback from a thigh injury during the 2-1 win against Valencia on Saturday.
Prieto’s return will strengthen a midfield that is still without Esteban Granero as the Argentinean continues to recover from a serious knee injury.
In the other group game, Bayer Leverkusen will host Shakhtar Donetsk as both teams look to put pressure on Manchester United with a win in Germany.
Both sides are level with the Premier League champions after the first two games and the winner will no doubt gain a lot of momentum moving forward into the second half of the group fixtures.
Leverkusen will be hoping that Stefan Kiessling will be able to find the right side of the goal netting this time around meanwhile Shakhtar will be turning to their Brazilian powerhouses of Bernard and Fred will be able to keep the hosts on their toes all night long.
There’s everything to play for still in Group A and Manchester United know that they need a win tonight to make sure that they are in the best possible position as the race for qualification intensifies over the next few weeks.
