Manchester United discovered who they will face when the UEFA Europa League campaign gets under way next month.
Erik ten Hag’s side were one of eight big-name clubs in Pot One and will compete in Group E against Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia.
United of course reached the final of the competition at the end of the 2020/21 campaign but lost to Villarreal on penalties. They will be hoping to go one better this season and are understandably expected to secure smooth passage to the knockout stages.
Yet Ten Hag will be keen not to underestimate United’s opponents, and with that in mind, Mirror football has taken a closer look at each of the sides joining them in Group E.
Real Sociedad
Background: Real Sociedad are the more familiar name of the three and becoming regulars in this competition, making a third successive appearance after securing a sixth place finish in La Liga last season.
In last season’s edition, they finished as runners-up in Group B before being knocked out in the Round of 32 by RB Leipzig.
That’s also the same round in which they exited the year before, at the hands of Manchester United who secured an impressive 4-0 aggregate win when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge.
Manager: Imanol Alguacil
Favoured formation: 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.
Key player: Mikel Oyarzabal. The skilful 25-year-old, who has previously been linked with a move to Manchester City, usually plays on the left of the Sociedad attack and finished last season registering an impressive nine goals and four assists across all competitions.
Sheriff Tiraspol
Background: Sheriff enjoyed a memorable debut campaign in the Champions League group stages last season before finishing third and subsequently dropping into the Europa League. Their adventure was then halted at the Round of 32 by Portuguese outfit Braga.
It was a memorable campaign on the continent though, with their 2-1 Champions league scalp of Real Madrid sending shockwaves across the footballing world.
Domestically they compete in a league with just seven other sides, however underlying performance metrics paint them as a team with a clear philosophy. Last season, they boasted the most aggressive press in Moldova’s top tier and the highest possession average too. Both of these played a key role in them going on to secure the league title.
Despite the club’s small reputation, last season’s success at the Santiago Bernabeu does suggest United would be wise not to underestimate them.
Manager: Stjepan Tomas
Favoured formations: 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3
Key player: Kay Tejan. He was brought in on loan from Eerste Divisie outfit Oss having scored 14 goals and registered a further two assists last season, and the attacker has already opened his account for the Sheriff, doing so in a 3-0 win last week.
Omonia Nicosia
Background: The minnows are an unknown to many United fans and only actually secured a place in the Europa League's qualifying phase thanks to winning the Cypriot domestic cup last season. They’re also led by former Celtic boss Neil Lennon who joined the club in March of this year.
They reached the group stage after knocking out Belgian side Gent 4-0 on aggregate in the playoff round. They actually won both legs 2-0 despite finishing the matches with less than 30 per cent possession. This highlights that United are more than likely going to face a stubborn side happy to sit in and try to frustrate them when the two clash later this Autumn.
Manager: Neil Lennon
Favoured formations: 5-3-2 or 4-2-3-1
Key player: Charalampos Charalampous. Still just 20, the midfielder looks like he could have a bright future and he was on target both home and away against Gent in the qualifying matches for the competition proper.
