The future opponent of the capital club in the round of 16 of C1 is coming out of a very convincing group stage, which no longer really makes it a little bit of a challenge.
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An exotic trip for PSG. Accustomed to facing European big names from the round of 16 of the Champions League, the capital club inherited a draw deemed “affordable” this Monday, December 18: Real Sociedad. The Basque club, which PSG has never met, is indeed an underdog in the competition, but should pose problems for Luis Enrique and his men in February and March 2024. Here’s why.
Because Real Sociedad is coming out of a very convincing group stage
THE Txuri-urdin made their return to the Champions League this season, making an impression after ten years of absence. Drawn in a group with Inter, Benfica and RedBull Salzburg, Real Sociedad came out of the group stage undefeated (three wins, three draws), ahead of Nerazzurri outgoing finalists. All while being the club having conceded the fewest goals in this phase of the competition (only two), conceding the fewest shots on target (two per match on average, 4.83 for Paris in comparison) and with one of the most effective pressings, notably ahead of… that of PSG.
They are also the team that trailed the least in the entire group stage. A record which allows Antoine Griezmann’s former club (from 2009 to 2014) to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
Because the game offered by the Basques is attractive
Currently sixth in La Liga, Real Sociedad has been a regular at the top of the table in Spain for several seasons (in the Top 7 the last four seasons). Imanol Alguacil’s men are playing an attractive game, combining possession and extremely effective transition phases, thanks in particular to the Brais Mendez-Takefusa Kubo pair on the attacking front.
Two players who feed experienced scorer Mikel Oyarzabal, captain of the Txuri-urdin, and Umar Sadiq, both returning from serious cruciate ligament injuries. Which partly explains the Basques’ ranking in La Liga, having also started the season without Spanish international Mikel Merino (19 caps), essential to the play of the Reale Arena residents. A game that has earned it a lot of praise on the other side of the Pyrenees, described by observers as “the most beautiful game in Spain”, and where two names known in France are having fun: Robin Le Normand, born in Pau before obtaining Spanish nationality, and Hamari Traoré (ex-Stade Rennais).
Because it is the culmination of an ambitious project
Real Sociedad have only participated in three editions of the Champions League since the start of the 21st century, but that doesn’t seem to scare them. The San Sebastian club has been working for several seasons on an ambitious sporting project, based partly on training. In the Champions League this season, six to seven players in the starting 11 came from Zubieta, its training center where its young players, preferably Basques, grow up.
A policy which resembles that of its neighbor in Bilbao, Athletic, but which has softened over time, to allow foreign talents to come and flourish far from the stifling environment which reigns within other Iberian giants. A clever mix coached by Imanol Alguacil, himself a former member of the team and returning as coach since 2013, moved to see those he trained among young people allowing him today to dream of the Champions League.