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It all comes down to the last day for Real Sociedad and PSV in their Europa League campaigns as they meet at Reale Arena on Thursday.
Monaco, currently first in the standings, are assured of the winner's spot in Group B. A win for PSV would seal a two-top finish for them, while a win for Real Sociedad would guarantee a place in the knockout round.
Real Sociedad have lost two La Liga games in a row, failing to score in both. Real Madrid defeated them 2-0 at home on Sunday. PSV are third in the Eredivisie and secured a 4-1 win over Utrecht on Saturday.
Real Sociedad vs PSV Head-to-Head
This will just be the second competitive meeting between the two sides. In the reverse fixture in September at Philips Stadium, the teams played out a 2-2 draw.
Mario Gotze's 31st-minute opener was canceled out by Adnan Januzaj just a couple of minutes later while Cody Gakpo restored parity in the second half after Aleksander Isak gave the Spanish side a lead in the 39th minute.
Real Sociedad form guide (all competitions): L-W-L-L-D
PSV form guide (all competitions): W-D-W-W-W
Real Sociedad vs PSV Team News
Real Sociedad
Mikel Merino and David Silva are the two key players sidelined with injuries ahead of the game. There have been no updates on their dates of return but they haven't trained with the squad and will play no part in this fixture.
La Real have lost the last two league fixtures in the absence of Merino. Here are the other absentees for the hosts:
- Nacho Monreal - Knee injury
- Carlos Fernández - Back in training
Injured: Nacho Monreal, Carlos Fernandez, Mikel Merino, David Silva
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
PSV
Veteran striker Eran Zahavi is a key absentee for Boeren. The Israel international has been ruled out for at least 10 weeks with a knee injury. Philipp Max has recovered from COVID-19 and should be available for this game. Here are the rest of the absentees for the hosts:
- Vincent Müller - Undisclosed illness
- Maximiliano Romero - Groin injury
- Ryan Thomas - Knee injury
- Shurandy Sambo - ACL injury
- Richard Ledezma - Undisclosed
Injured: Maximiliano Romero, Eran Zahavi, Ryan Thomas, Richard Ledezma, Vincent Müller, Shurandy Sambo
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Real Sociedad vs PSV Predicted XI
Real Sociedad Predicted XI (4-4-2): Alex Remiro; Diego Rico, Robin Le Normand, Igor Zubeldia, Andoni Gorosabel; Ander Barrenetxea, Mikel Oyarzabal, Martín Zubimendi, Adnan Januzaj; Alexander Isak, Alexander Sørloth
PSV Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Joel Drommel; Philipp Mwene, Andre Ramalho, Olivier Boscagli, Mauro Junior; Erick Gutierrez, Ibrahim Sangare; Bruma, Cody Gakpo, Ritsu Doan; Carlos Vinicius
Real Sociedad vs PSV Prediction
Real Sociedad might have struggled in their recent outings but they have a solid record at home this season and have lost just once across all competitions. PSV are also unbeaten in their away fixtures in the Europa League.
Merino's absence has disturbed the delicate balance in the hosts' squad but it is unlikely they'll be beaten in back-to-back home games. A low-scoring draw is our prediction for this high-stakes fixture.
Prediction: Real Sociedad 1-1 PSV
