Bournemouth XI vs Real Sociedad – Predicted lineup and team news

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The Football Faithful

·17 September 2026

Bournemouth XI vs Real Sociedad – Predicted lineup and team news

Bournemouth are preparing to make club history when they travel to Spain to face Real Sociedad in their opening Europa League fixture on Thursday.

The Cherries will play their first-ever major European match after making a strong and determined start under head coach Marco Rose.

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Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches, displaying impressive resilience in consecutive 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Brentford.

Although they are still waiting for their first league win under Rose after beginning his reign with a 2-1 loss to Manchester City, their attacking performances have offered plenty of encouragement ahead of the trip to Spain.

Bournemouth team news

Bournemouth head into the match with several fitness issues affecting the squad. Young forward Eli Junior Kroupi will miss the game because of a foot injury and has been replaced in the official European squad by winger Ben Gannon-Doak.

The Cherries also have concerns in other areas of the team, with full-back Julián Araujo unavailable due to a thigh problem and Amine Adli sidelined with a calf injury.

Veljko Milosavljević has returned to light grass training after recovering from a quad injury, but he is not yet ready to be considered for competitive action.

Despite these absences, Rose still has plenty of attacking options available. Bournemouth are expected to field a lively attacking setup, with Rayan, Justin Kluivert, and the in-form Marcus Tavernier operating behind Evanilson as they look to create problems for Real Sociedad’s defence.