Real Sociedad host AS Roma in the second leg of the Europa League knockout rounds and the Spanish giants will be hoping to overturn the 2-0 deficit from the first leg.
Roma picked up a 2-0 win at home and they will be hoping to get the job done away from home now.
Jose Mourinho’s side were quite impressive in the first leg and they will fancy their chances of getting through to the next round of the competition with another win here.
The Italian giants will have to improve on their performance against Sassuolo in their last game. They were beaten 4-3 at home and the fans will be expecting a strong reaction here.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad are without a win in their last five matches across all competitions and they will need a mini miracle to get through to the next round.
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Preparing for the return leg 🆚 Real Sociedad!#ASRoma #UEL
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) March 14, 2023
Team News and Tactics
Real Sociedad
The Spanish outfit will be without the services of Umar Sadiq, Aritz Elustondo, and Martin Merquelanz because of injury. Real Sociedad are likely to line up in a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Alex Remiro in goal.
Andoni Gorosabel and Diego Rico will start as the full-backs here and they will be asked to protect the central defenders and help create opportunities for their side with overlaps. Igor Zubeldia will partner with Robin Le Normand at the heart of the defence.
Martin Zubimendi will be deployed as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to protect the central defenders and recycle possession. In the midfield three, Brais Mendez will start alongside Mikel Merino and Takefusa Kubo. The three players will look to add control and creativity from the middle of the park.
Mikel Oyarzabal is set to lead the line alongside Carlos Fernandez.
Probable Lineup (4-1-3-2): Remiro; Gorosabel, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Rico; Zubimendi; Mendez, Merino, Kubo; Oyarzabal, Fernandez
Roma
Ola Solbakken and Ebrima Darboe missed the first leg with injuries and they are sidelined for this game as well. However, Jose Mourinho has been dealt a number of other injury blows. Lorenzo Pellegrini, Andrea Belotti and Diego Llorente could miss out against Real Sociedad during the midweek.
The Italians are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Rui Patricio in goal.
Gianluca Mancini will start alongside Chris Smalling and Roger Ibanez at the back.
Rick Karsdrop and Leonardo Spinazzola will start as the full-backs, and they will look to add creativity and width to the side. Both players are quite effective going forward and could cause all sorts of problems for the Real Sociedad defence with their overlaps.
Nemanja Matic will partner Bryan Cristante at the heart of the midfield, and the two players will look to protect the back three.
Paulo Dybala and Stephan El Shaarawy will start as the attacking midfielders here. The duo will look to link up with striker Tammy Abraham and add creativity and goals to the side.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Karsdrop, Matic, Cristante, Spinazzola; Dybala, El Shaarawy; Abraham
Key Stats
- Real Sociedad have kept 3 clean sheets in the last 5 games.
- Real Sociedad have failed to score in their last 2 matches.
- Roma are unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 matches.
- Roma Manager Jose Mourinho has only lost two of his 16 games in the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League (W11, D3).
Player to Watch
Paulo Dybala
Football in the rain > #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/V64A0r9Q8m
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) March 14, 2023
The Argentine international has been a standout performer for Roma this season. He has 3 goals and 3 assists to his name in his last 8 appearances across all competitions.
Dybala impressed against Real Sociedad in the first leg and managed to set up a goal for his side. He was on the score sheet in the last outing against Sassuolo as well.
The 29-year-old will look to continue his impressive run of form with another defining performance away from home in Spain this week.
Prediction
Real Sociedad 1-1 Roma
The home side are likely to put up a fight here and they will be hoping to salvage some pride.
Real Sociedad are going through a rough patch right now and they are winless in their last 5 outings. This will be a difficult game for them and they are unlikely to be able to overturn the 2-0 deficit.
Jose Mourinho is an experienced manager who knows how to grind out results in Europe and he’s likely to field his side in a compact setup here. Roma will look to defend their advantage and hit the hosts on the counter.
The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two sides.