Manchester United know victory will see them progress to the quarter-finals

Manchester United will reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League if they can overcome Real Sociedad in the second leg of their last 16 tie.

The first encounter between the sides finished 1-1 after Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty denied Joshua Zirkzee the winning goal in San Sebastian, with the Red Devils boasting home advantage for the all-important return fixture.

United were able to secure a hard-fought Premier League draw with Arsenal as they prepared for La Real’s visit, with Old Trafford – which will soon be usurped by a new 100,000-seater arena – needing to rise to the occasion once more on Thursday night.

Imanol Alguacil’s side endured another underwhelming evening on Sunday as they were narrowly beaten on home soil by Sevilla, meaning they have now won just two of their last seven fixtures in all competitions.

Given they have drawn their last three matches across 90 minutes, United could be in for a long night. Ruben Amorim’s side will progress automatically with victory but will be required to contest extra-time and potentially penalties should the match finish all square.

United were dealt another fitness blow on Sunday as Leny Yoro was withdrawn at half-time with a foot injury. The French centre-back will be absent for Thursday’s game and the upcoming league match with Leicester City.

Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte are both back in training, although the clash with La Real comes too soon for the former. The latter will be named in the matchday squad, according to Amorim.

The United boss has also revealed that Harry Maguire will be sidelined with injury again on Thursday but could make a comeback against former employers Leicester at the weekend.

Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw are other defensive absentees, with back-up goalkeepers Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton also injured. Further forward, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo are missing.

Man Utd predicted lineup vs Real Sociedad (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Lindelof; Dalot, Fernandes, Casemiro, Dorgu; Zirkzee, Hojlund, Garnacho.

Real Sociedad will be without the services of Jon Pacheco once again, while the duo of Luka Sucic and Jon Aramburu are major doubts. The former featured in the first leg but missed the weekend defeat to Sevilla, while the latter was withdrawn due to a foot injury on Sunday.

Alvaro Odriozola and Arsen Zakharyan have been missing since La Real’s most recent victory in February against Leganes, but both could feature as part of the squad on Thursday evening.

Martin Zubimendi was a notable absentee for last week’s first leg but made his comeback against Sevilla and will start at Old Trafford.