Our prediction for this Europa League match:
Doosan Arena will be the centre of attention when Plzen and Real Sociedad square off against each other in the Europa League round 4. Plzen aim to recover from an upsetting 1-0 loss to Slovacko, but they face yet another uphill task against La Real. The likes of Durosinmi, Hejda, Kabongo, and Sykora remain on the sidelines with injuries, while defender Sampson Dweh will have to watch the game from the stands. Head coach Miroslav Koubek will have to watch the game from the stands.
The Basques, on the other hand, did well to beat Sevilla 2-0 in their last La Liga game. As Real Sociedad have been producing much better showings on the road than at home this season, we are tempted to place our bets on Mikel Oyarzabal and Co. The likes of Traore, Marin, Barrentxea, Turrientes, and Zakharyan miss out with injuries, while Umar Sadiq is pushing for a start.
Highlighted Player (Mikel Oyarzabal):
Intelligence is not an attribute you will find in Mikel Oyarzabal’s stats with Real Sociedad but this tricky winger is a highly knowledgeable winger who will use both brain and feet while playing. For a player born in Eibar, who made his first steps in his hometown club, it was always going to be a choice between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad for Oyarzabal.
La Real saw their chance and grabbed this gem of a player at a young age, helping him develop into a proper professional throughout their youth ranks. Mikel Oyarzabal has spent the entirety of his senior career with the Basque behemoths where he’d use his ability to fill in a number of positions up top much to his own benefit.
Oyarzabal’s positioning and movement are work of a tactical genius, whereas it is his nous to find details to exploit that best define him as a player. Having come through the youth categories of the Spanish national team, Oyarzabal also has a senior cap next to his name. It was in 2016 that he also represented the Basque region, scoring on his debut to cap a 3-1 win over Tunisia.