The Daily Star Ireland
Real Sociedad, after a shaky start to the season, is working hard to improve across the board. In the Europa League, the team struggled early on with a 1-1 draw against Nice and a 1-2 loss to Anderlecht. However, they found their rhythm and secured two victories in their next three matches, beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-2, Viktoria Plzen 2-1, and Ajax Amsterdam most recently. These results have moved them up to 16th in the standings, just three points behind the top eight. In La Liga, they’ve also shown good form, winning three of their last four matches, including victories over Sevilla (0-2), Barcelona (1-0), and Bilbao (1-0), as well as a 2-0 win over Betis. Next weekend, they will face Leganes away.
On the other hand, Dynamo Kyiv has had a tough time in the Europa League, failing to win any of their group-stage matches. Their losses to Lazio (0-3), Hoffenheim (2-0), Roma (1-0), Ferencvaros (0-4), and Viktoria Plzen (1-2) have left them at the bottom of the standings with little chance of qualifying. However, their domestic form has been much stronger, as they currently lead the Ukrainian league despite two recent draws against Kolos Kovalivka (1-1) and Oleksandria (0-0). They will meet Oleksandria again next weekend.
Dynamo Kyiv will likely be missing several key players for their match in San Sebastián, including Colombian defender Bryan Ceballos, midfielder Pikhalionok (who has scored two league goals), and long-term absentee Shepeliev. Croatian midfielder Sucic, who was ill last week, should be available, as should former Rennes defender Aguerd. Other players sidelined include Amari Traoré, Zakharyan, Elustondo, and Icelandic international Oskarksson. Sociedad will rely on their captain Mikel Oyarzabal, who has scored three La Liga goals, and Japanese winger Kubo, who scored his first Europa League goal in the last match.
Dynamo Kyiv will also miss star player Yarmolenko (three goals), but midfielder Kabaiev, the only player to have scored in the Europa League this season, may play alongside Ukrainian international Shaparenko (three goals) and striker Vanat (seven goals). Defender Dubinchak returns from suspension.
Prediction
Real Sociedad is in strong form and should secure a win, especially given their excellent home record, having won 10 of their last 13 top-flight home matches. In contrast, Dynamo Kyiv’s poor away form, with just two wins in 13 games, makes them unlikely to cause an upset.
Prediction: Real Sociedad 2 : 0 Dynamo Kyiv
