Real Sociedad vs Ajax preview, team news, tickets, and prediction

Real Sociedad will be host to Dutch giants, Ajax Amsterdam on November 28, 2024, at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebaceous, Spain. This UEFA Europa League fixture is set to be a feisty contest as both teams will look to go some steps higher on the standings of the table of the Europa League.

Real Sociedad have had quite contrasting forms in both the La Liga and in the UEFA Europa League. In the La Liga, they are currently placed 8th with 18 points, while they are languishing at the bottom end of the Europa League table in 25th place with just 4 points. 

The team however has claimed some impressive results this season and of recent. Their last La Liga encounter saw them host a high-flying Barcelona side led by Hansi Flick. Barcelona had chances upon chances to kill the game and even had a goal controversially disallowed. The game was eventually turned on its head when Sheraldo Becker scored at the 33rd-minute mark. 

The head coach of the San Sebastian side Imanol Alguacil will have no doubt enjoyed that sweet victory against one of Europe’s best teams this season. He expressed his excitement and praised his team for a ‘Champions League’ performance against the league leaders. He said;

“I am very excited, not only at the end but during the game. I enjoyed the way we competed, I would have been happy if we had lost or drawn. The players and the fans deserved a night like this. We know it wasn’t the best start possible, but today players and fans are going home happy and that’s what it’s all about.

“What we have to do is enjoy today’s game, the moment, how it was, because I give a lot of importance to the how and how it was brutal, because right now for me Liverpool and Barcelona can be the best teams in Europe and beating them is very valuable. I am very happy, we needed a night like this.”

“It was a great game, Champions League and top level. We were very strong and aggressive in pressing, which is probably the secret to why they created so little and, with the ball, they only called three offsides on us and we had plenty of goal-scoring opportunities coming in from behind and breaking that offside, and in one we were successful in front of goal. I think our victory is more a credit to Real than a discredit to Barcelona.”

“If we don’t give it continuity, none at all. This is about having continuity and not doing it once in a while. We’ll see when we get back from the break. The wins are very useful to us, not just today, but because of what we’ve seen in the last phase of the calendar, which I think we played well, but today we were successful in front of goal.”

“The team will fight in the next match to get the three points. At the moment the table means nothing to me, it is what worries me the least, whether we are at the top or now that we have been in the middle or bottom of the table.”

“What worries me the most is always getting the most out of the squad and growing. I understand that the fans get nervous, but that is of no use to me, what matters to me is growing and getting the most out of the squad.

We must respect all opinions, but I think we played a great game from the first to the 90th minute, that Real was superior, and that the victory was fair, even with a narrow scoreline.”

Home fans can get Real Sociedad tickets for the game from an online resale store.

Ajax on the other hand is currently third in the Dutch Eredivisie and is also 2nd on the log. Their last time out in the competition saw them smash Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-0 at home. Their manager, Francesco Farioli will be hoping for a continuation of that blistering form when they travel to Spain to hopefully inflict pain on Real Sociedad. They have the form and the quality of players riding for them. 

Match Tickets

The match kicks off at 21:00 GMT on Thursday, November 28, 2024, at the Anoeta. The stadium boasts a seating capacity of 39,000 and is expected to be filled with very eager home supporters.

Getting Real Sociedad vs Ajax tickets could be quite difficult given how big this game is. Hence, you are advised to directly search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels. 

Team news

Line-ups

Real Sociedad 

Real Sociedad has a very talented squad filled with quality players that can prove to be dangerous for any team in the world. We saw a glimpse of how dangerous they could be as they dispatched League leaders Barcelona and they could do the same to Ajax on the 28th of November. 

Ajax, on the other hand, have form and history behind them, they look dangerous in the attacking third too.

Here is a likely starting eleven for both teams. 

Real Sociedad XI: Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Aguerd, Muñoz; Méndez, Zubimendi, Sucic; Kubo, Becker, Oyarzabal

Ajax XI: Pasveer, Hato, Baas, Sutalo, Rensch, Klaassen, Henderson, Taylor, Akpom, Godts, Weghorst

Prediction

Real Sociedad will host Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam in the hope that they can resurrect their European campaign with a much-needed victory at home. Failure to win this game could further cement their fate of outright elimination for the Europa League or even demotion to the Conference League. 

The likes of Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal could prove a handful against a Jordan Henderson-captained team. How it will pan out, still remains to be seen, but Ajax could slightly nick the win.

Real Sociedad 1-2 Ajax