Real Sociedad open Europa League bid as Marco Rose hails Mikel Oyarzabal and club’s growth | OneFootball

Real Sociedad begin their Europa League campaign at Anoeta at 21:00, carrying the status of a respected, established European side and eyeing a serious tilt at the trophy.

According to AS, their place in pot one for the group-stage draw underlines that rise and has many viewing them as contenders.

Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose, who visited Anoeta with Salzburg in 2018 during the stadium’s reconstruction, praised its transformation and the club’s progress since winning the Spanish Cup. He highlighted La Real’s intensity and quality, called them a leading name in the competition, and lauded Mikel Oyarzabal as a leader and a top-class No 10. He also urged the 2,000 British supporters in Donostia to enjoy the night responsibly, saying the sunrise is worth seeing.

Rose is a long-time acquaintance of Pellegrino Matarazzo from the Bundesliga. The Real Sociedad coach said that after winning the Copa final he checked where the Europa League final will be played, in Frankfurt, about an hour from his home, and that the first step towards that dream is to overcome Rose’s side.

For the opener, Matarazzo is without Igor Zubeldia and Álvaro Odriozola. Héctor Fort is in line for a home debut, with Sarr or Beitia to partner Jon Martín at centre-back. Pablo Marín returns to the squad, Marchal stays in, and the goalkeeping call for this tournament is between Remiro and Marrero.

The assignment comes with a clear target to end a last-16 barrier the club have not cleared since 1998. Matarazzo noted the club’s frequent European participation but no titles or finals, and said he believes they have not gone beyond the last 16 since 1988. The match will be refereed by Poland’s Pawel Raczkowski, with Tomasz Kwiatkowski on VAR.

Source: AS

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