Midtjylland vs. Real Sociedad: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Real Sociedad have largely struggled on the road in this competition this season, while Midtjylland have been equally underwhelming at home.

Both sides are in a fairly comparable run of form, so we think these two sides will cancel each other out in what should be an entertaining game. Midtjylland 1-1 Real Sociedad.

Real Sociedad are hoping to avoid a Europa League playoff upset as they take on Danish side Midtjylland this week.

• Date: 13/02/2025
• Kick-off time: 17:45
• Location: MCH Arena, Herning

Midtjylland finished 20th in the Europa League group stage with 11 points from 20 games. The Danish club managed to seal a playoff spot by the skin of their teeth after what turned out to be a difficult group phase. The impact of losses to Porto, Eintracht Frankfurt and FCSB were softened by wins over Maccabi Tel Aviv, Union Saint-Gilloise and Ludogorets to leave the team just one point inside of the playoff places.

Midtjylland are in good shape in the Danish Superliga, as they sit 2nd in the table, level on points with FC Copenhagen in 1st place. Given they're the reigning champions of Denmark, this is the level that's expected of them. There will probably be some disappointment that they didn't finish higher in the league table in this competition, and they've paid the price for that with a very tough playoff draw, but they still have a chance to redeem themselves in this tie.

Midtjylland's standout performer is 20-year-old Bissau-Guinean, Franculino Djú, who has six goals and two assists in all competitions so far. Djú is a dynamic forward who had reportedly piqued the interest of Arsenal last year, and if Midtjylland are going to get through this tie, his contributions will be vital.

The Danes are the underdogs for this game, but Sociedad haven't been at their best this season either, so it's still a winnable tie.

Real Sociedad finished 13th in the Europa League group stage with 13 points from 8 games. La Real will be quite disappointed to have had to settle for a place in the playoffs, as they would've fancied themselves to be a top eight team prior to this tournament commencing.

However, Sociedad have so far had a pretty underwhelming season by their standards, with the side showing a clear regression from the level they've been at in previous seasons. They currently sit 7th in La Liga, but the gap between them and the top five is a sizeable one, as they sit a whole nine points shy of Villarreal in 5th. It was always going to be a tough campaign for them after losing both Robin Le Normand and Mikel Merino in the summer, but those departures seem to have had a bigger impact than they would've liked.

There's still a good amount of quality in the squad, though, and forward Mikel Oyarzabal is having a fine campaign, with 8 goals and 7 assists to his name this season, while Ander Barrenetxea has 7 goals and 4 assists. 20-year-old Icelandic striker Orri Steinn Óskarsson is also showing himself to be a very interesting prospect and is one to keep an eye on, but there is no doubt that the team's overall quality has declined somewhat.

An exit from this competition at this stage would be a real gut punch for La Real, who likely would've really fancied their chances of winning this competition coming into the season. They still have a half decent chance, but they're going to have to do it the hard way, and they can't avoid any slip ups here.

This game will be aired live to all subscribed UK viewers on the TNT Sports Red Button.

Midtjylland Team News:

Cho Gue-sung continues to miss out for the home side, while Elias Rafn Olafsson is a major doubt after missing recent fixtures.

New signing Dani Silva should be part of the matchday squad, but he'll likely have to settle for a place on the bench.

Predicted lineup: Lossl; Mbabu, Diao, Bech Sorensen, Paulinho; Byskov, Andersson, Sorensen; Osorio, Simsir, Buksa.

Real Sociedad Team News:

Hamari Traoré, Aihen Muñoz and Alvaro Odriozola are all likely to miss for La Real, who otherwise have a squad with a good level of availability.

After being rested at the weekend, Take Kubo, Brais Méndez and Mikel Oyarzabal should all return to the starting XI.

Predicted lineup: Remiro; Aramburu, Elustondo, Aguerd, López; Zubimendi; Kubo, Sučić, Méndez, Gomez; Oyarzabal.

Midtjylland:

Midtjylland come into this game in mixed form, with two wins, one draw and two defeats from their last five. Most recently, the Danes drew 2-2 at home to Fenerbahce, with Ousmane Diao and Valdemar Byskov scoring the goals.

Before that, goals from Darío Osorio and Byskov secured a 2-0 win away at Ludogorets, which followed a 2-0 defeat away at Porto and a 3-0 win at Vejle, where Mikel Krüger-Johnsen, Victor Lind and Juninho scored the goals.

Those results followed a 1-2 loss at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Real Sociedad:

Sociedad's form is solid, with La Real winning three and losing two of their last five. The Spanish club ran out 2-1 winners against Espanyol at the weekend, with goals from Sheraldo Becker and Brais Méndez securing the points.

Prior to that, goals from Ander Barrenetxea and Méndez were enough for a 2-0 win over Osasuna in the Copa del Rey, a result that was preceded by a 2-1 loss to Osasuna in the league.

Those results were preceded by a 2-0 win over PAOK in the Europa League, courtesy of a brace from Orri Óskarsson, and a 0-3 loss to Getafe.

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