Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth - prediction, team news, lineups

By Matt Law | 15 Sep 2026 10:26, Last updated: 15 Sep 2026 10:28

Real Sociedad and Bournemouth will begin their respective Europa League league stage campaigns with an intriguing clash at Anoeta Stadium on Thursday night.

Bournemouth will enter the match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Brentford in the Premier League, while Real Sociedad lost 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in La Liga last time out.

Real Sociedad had an underwhelming 2025-26 La Liga campaign, finishing down in 10th spot in the division, but they qualified for the league phase of the Europa League courtesy of their Copa del Rey success, so the team are present in Europe this term.

La Real have a record of two wins, one draw and three defeats from their six La Liga matches this season, and they will enter this game off the back of a 3-0 home defeat to Atletico.

Pellegrino Matarazzo's side are 12th in the La Liga table on seven points, but their focus has now switched to the Europa League, where they will also take on Royale Union SG, Lillestrom, Lyon, Crystal Palace, Torreense, Plzen and Juventus in the league stage.

Real Sociedad last played in the Europa League in 2024-25, reaching the last-16 stage of the competition before being eliminated by Manchester United.

La Real also reached the last-16 stage of the Champions League in 2023-24, and they have a solid European pedigree, having played 120 times in Europe throughout their history.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, are preparing to play in Europe for the first time, with the Cherries finishing sixth in the Premier League last season to qualify for the Europa League league stage.

Marco Rose's side have played five times across two competitions this season and have only managed to post one win - a 4-0 success over Lincoln City in the EFL Cup.

In the Premier League, the Cherries have a record of three draws and one defeat, with three points leaving them in in 15th spot in the division on three points.

Bournemouth will also take on Sturm Graz, AC Milan, Sparta Prague, Celta Vigo, Plzen, Lillestrom and Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the league phase of this season's Europa League, and it will be fascinating to see how Rose's team perform in the tournament.

The Cherries will enter Thursday's match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Brentford in the Premier League.

Real Sociedad remain without the services of long-term absentee Alvaro Odriozola, while Igor Zubeldia is also unavailable for selection through injury.

The hosts will be unable to call upon Jon Aramburu, with the defender suspended due to the red card that he picked up in the 2024-25 competition against Man United.

Mikel Oyarzabal, who helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup, will be the standout name in the Real Sociedad XI, while there is also set to be a spot at right-back for Hector Fort, who made the move to the Basque club from Barcelona at the end of August.

As for Bournemouth, Julian Araujo, Amine Adli, Veljko Milosavljevic and Eli Junior Kroupi are out of the Europa League contest through injury.

There are not expected to be any real surprises in the Bournemouth XI for this match, with Rayan, Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier set to operate behind centre-forward Evanilson.

Alex Scott will be looking to make an impression in the Europa League this season, with a number of high-profile clubs potentially targeting him during next summer's transfer window.

Marrero; Fort, Sarr, Pacheco, Gomez; Ochieng, Herrera, Soler, Guedes; Oyarzabal, Sucic

Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson

This could be a really entertaining Europa League contest, with both teams having quality in the final third of the field, and we can see the points being shared in a 2-2 draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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