“I do actually think” – Gary Neville issues honest Manchester United vs Real Sociedad prediction

Gary Neville has issued an honest prediction as Manchester United welcome Real Sociedad to Old Trafford for the second leg of their Europa League knockout clash.

Manchester United turn their attention back to the Europa League as they host Real Sociedad in the second leg of their round of 16 tie.

The first leg in San Sebastián saw Joshua Zirkzee fire Rúben Amorim’s side into the lead before Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty brought the aggregate score level at 1-1.

With a place in the quarter-finals on the line, both sides will be eager to come out on top at Old Trafford. The winner will go on to face either Olympique Lyonnais or FCSB, with the French side holding a 3-1 advantage from the first leg.

United’s last match ended in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal, but their performance offered plenty of encouragement. A lively Old Trafford crowd is expected as the Reds look to get the job done on Thursday night.

Neville issues honest prediction

Speaking with Sky Sports, former United captain Gary Neville issued an honest assessment of how he thinks United’s fixture against Real Sociedad will unfold, but warned the club that they must improve their recent form in order to shut the La Liga side out.

Neville said: “There’s this feeling that, ‘oh, United and Tottenham are going to end up in the final of the Europa League’.

“They’re going to have to start playing an awful lot better than they are [to reach the final], because the other teams in this competition, anybody that’s half-decent and half-organised that comes and plays here [at Old Trafford look good].

“I was here last week against Fulham. Fulham won the game in the end on penalties, but they were the better team. And that happens regularly. Manchester United only just beat Ipswich. So don’t be surprised if Real Sociedad come here on Thursday and have a lot of joy.

“I do actually think United will go through, but they’re going to have to improve enormously from the levels they’re at to win the Europa League. But to prioritise it, what other option has he got? Because it’s the only trophy that he can win.

“They’re not going to go down United. They’re too far away from relegation. So the league in some ways, I mean, other than pride, is effectively just get through it as quick as you possibly can.”

It’s a must-win game for Amorim

If United want to head through to the quarter-finals, the simple fact of the matter is they must look to beat Sociedad on the night.

Read More: Leny Yoro injury status vs Real Sociedad revealed as Man Utd star spotted ‘wearing protective cast’

United played 120 minutes and penalties against Fulham in the FA Cup two weekends ago, and you could tell that it affected the squad in the first leg of the European tie, as the players looked fatigued.

Amorim has said many times that his lack of options due to the mounting injuries is causing the players to tire too early, and should United be drawing on aggregate with Sociedad inside 90 minutes; they will play a further 120 minutes before going to penalties to decide a winner.

With the number of games United may be facing in the coming months, it feels as if they almost cannot afford to play extra time and possibly penalties for the second time in two weeks, so they must look to finish the game off within the 90 minutes.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.