Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol welcome Spanish opposition to the Sheriff Stadium for just the second time in their history, as they take on an in-form Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday.
Both of these sides made it to the knockout play-offs stage of this competition last season, as the hosts lost out to Braga on penalties, while the visitors crashed out to RB Leipzig.
Match preview
© Reuters
There are not many sides quite as domestically dominant as Sheriff Tiraspol in world football, with Stjepan Tomas's side having won 20 of the last 22 Moldovan Championships.
The club from Transnistria look well on track to repeat the feat this season, having opened up six-point lead over the competition with a third of the campaign played.
A 3-0 victory over Sfintul Gheorghe made it four league games without conceding for the competition's dominant force, and 20 games unbeaten, last allowing Moldovan opposition to score when closest rivals Petrocub took a second-minute lead against them back in August.
Competing in the Europa League this season, after they were knocked out of the third qualifying round of the Champions League by Viktoria Plzen, the side from Tiraspol stormed to the top of the group after an emphatic 3-0 win at Omonoia Nicosia, before falling to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
Fearless as always, having racked up 24 shots across those two games, the European minnows are a completely different side from the one that shocked the world last season, with their unbelievable 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Only one player who started that game, Edmund Addo, remains at the club, as 17 players left in the summer, to join clubs in countries such as Latvia and Iran. Several free transfers and loan moves were secured to plug the gaps, with a £97,000 sum paid to Turkish third division side Kocaelispor representing the only summer expenditure on transfer fees.
It is a remarkable underdog story, but a competitive performance against Manchester United suggests that the Moldovans cannot be completely disregarded as they go in search of a second Spanish scalp in as many years.
© Reuters
After their impressive, if controversial, 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, Imanol Alguacil's Real Sociedad are top of Group E, after two narrow wins from two.
The Basque side built a reputation as one of Spain's stingier sides last season, conceding just nine goals in front of their own fans throughout the entire league campaign, with eight of their 10 home victories ending 1-0 to the Txuri-Urdin.
With nine goals scored in their last three games, however, including a breathtaking 5-3 win at Girona on Sunday, La Real have turned on the style in recent weeks, despite the high-profile departure of Alexander Isak to Newcastle United, as well as the long-term injury of Umar Sadiq, the man brought in to replace the Swedish striker.
It was another Scandinavian sharpshooter who stole the headlines in Girona, as Norwegian forward Alexander Sorloth produced two goals and an assist to steal a topsy-turvy game away from the newly-promoted side. He linked up brilliantly once again with 21-year-old Japanese international Takefusa Kubo, at his sixth Spanish club since his move to Real Madrid in 2019, who looked lively once more for his new side.
The elegance of 36-year-old David Silva, the tenacity and creativity of 25-year-old Brais Mendez and 26-year-old Mikel Merino, and the tidiness of 23-year-old Martin Zubimendi, provides a balanced midfield that is the beating heart of a fast-improving side, who will be looking to make it three wins out of three in the group stages of European competition for the first time in their history.
Team News
© Reuters
Sheriff seem to have a clean bill of health heading into this European encounter, and could go with the same side that faced both Omonia and Manchester United in their previous group-stage games.
Captain Stjepan Radeljic has been particularly impressive at the back for the Moldovan side so far this campaign, while striker Iyayi Atiemwen has been a handful in both European ties so far.
The Nigerian striker will be joined up front by Abou Ouattara and Rasheed Akanbi, the latter leading the way for goals this season, with six.
For the visitors, the Europa League usually provides an opportunity for Alguacil to utilise the deep squad at his disposal, so we could see starts for the likes of Asier Illarramendi and Ander Guevara in the midfield.
Up front, we are likely to see a return to action for Carlos Fernandez, hoping to make his first start since April 2021 after a cruciate ligament injury. The striker scored 11 goals in the 2020-21 season for Granada, but has only managed one since his move to San Sebastian.
On the injury front, key centre-back Robin Le Normand remains out with a foot injury, while exciting 19-year-old forward Mohamed-Ali Cho will miss the game with a hamstring injury.
Mikel Oyarzabal and Umar Sadiq also remain sidelined with long-term, cruciate ligament damage.
Sheriff Tiraspol possible starting lineup:
Koval; Kpozo, Radeljic, Kiki, Zohouri; Badolo, Kyabou, Diop; Akanbi, Atiemwen, Ouattara
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Rico, Elustondo, Pacheco, Munoz; Merino, Guevara, Illarramendi; Kubo, Fernandez, Navarro
We say: Sheriff Tiraspol 1-3 Real Sociedad
Despite a brave performance against Manchester United, the quality eventually told as the Moldovan side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Red Devils.
We can see a similar outcome here, as a rotated Real Sociedad squad should have just enough to avoid an upset.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
