Tied atop the Group A standings in the UEFA Champions League, Manchester United hopes their next match in league play proves to be one of their finest this season as they look to break the deadlock between themselves and Shakhtar Donetsk with a win over Real Sociedad. Defeating Bayer Leverkusen in their first Champions League match, the Red Devils followed that 4-2 performance up with a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar. Looking to remain in the top portion of Group A, Man U hopes the comfort of Old Trafford provides a boost in their next UCL match. Currently 8 points off the lead in the Barclays Premier League as well, Manchester United manager David Moyes would like to see his team play with more intensity while trying to rediscover the effort that has led them to a share of the top spot in Group A of the UCL.
"We have had some opportunities. But I have been saying that near enough from the start," Moyes said recently. "The players here are good enough. The end of the season is when you have to be in your best form. Over the years Manchester United have been slow starters quite often. We have been a little bit slow at the start again but hopefully that will improve. We knew we had a difficult opening period and we knew the games we were coming into looked more winnable. But we have got to do it. We will pick ourselves up."
Heading into the upcoming showdown, Real Sociedad finds themselves at the bottom of Group A, unable to get anything going on either side of the ball in two Champions League contests. Falling to Shakhtar Donetsk and Bayer Leverkusen, La Real and star Carlos Vela hope to earn what would be a major victory at Old Trafford. Vela, formerly of Arsenal, says it will be nice to play against his mentor Robin van Persie and even though the two are now UCL rivals, Vela still values the guidance the Man U striker provided him with in his early years.
"I learned a lot from him," Vela said of learning from van Persie. "For me, he's the best striker in the world and it was a pleasure to be able to share moments in training with him. If I was missing something in my game he'd speak to me and give me advice and I'm grateful for that. I've grown in every way and am a much better player than I was at Arsenal. When you're playing week in, week out, your confidence, your motivation is different and that's when you're prepared to risk trying new things and I've managed to get the best out of myself."
Manchester United vs. Real Sociedad: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Wednesday, October 23
TIME: 2:30pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: FOX Sports 1
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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