Real Sociedad take their Europa League campaign to Leuven on Thursday needing a result that can steady their European week, while Royale Union Saint-Gilloise aim to build immediately on an emphatic opening-night win.
Quick facts
- Match: Royale Union Saint-Gilloise v Real Sociedad
- Competition: Europa League league phase, matchday two
- Venue: King Power at Den Dreef, Leuven
- Date and kick-off: Thursday, 15 October, 18:45
- Union’s opening result: Viktoria Plzeň 0-3 Union Saint-Gilloise
- Real Sociedad absentees: Aramburu and Odriozola; Héctor Fort and Luken Beitia remain under assessment
Union arrive with three points already secured after their 3-0 victory in Plzeň. A second straight success would give the Belgian side an early foothold in the league-phase standings and add weight to their home assignment against Spanish opposition.
Real Sociedad travel after a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, but their domestic form has improved with two successive LaLiga wins. The latest of those was a 3-2 victory over Deportivo de La Coruña, a result they will hope can carry into a different kind of continental test.
The visitors have lost three of their past four away matches in this competition, winning only once. Their record against Belgian clubs is also a concern: Matarazzo’s side have not beaten a Belgian opponent in three previous meetings, drawing one and losing two.
Aramburu and Odriozola remain unavailable for Real Sociedad. Héctor Fort and Luken Beitia will be monitored before the match, while Pablo Marín and Orri Óskarsson can play in Europe.
Union have only one previous fixture against a Spanish club. That ended in a 3-1 loss to Atlético de Madrid, leaving the Leuven meeting as another chance for the Belgian team to establish themselves against opponents from one of Europe’s major leagues.
For Real Sociedad, the evening is about turning recent domestic momentum into an away European performance. For Union, it is an opportunity to follow a statement win in the Czech Republic with another result that changes the shape of their autumn on the continent.
