Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream and how to watch the Europa League for free online and on TV, team news

Manchester United vs Real Sociedad club badges
(Image credit: Future)

Manchester United kick off their European campaign this week, but it's not the UEFA competition they – or Cristiano Ronaldo – want to be involved in. They welcome Real Sociedad to Old Trafford for the second time in 18 months but will be hoping to do better than the goalless draw last time they met. Make sure you know how to watch a Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream and catch the 2022/23 Europa League wherever you are.

US soccer fans can stream Manchester United vs Real Sociedad free with the 7-day trial of Paramount+. Don't forget to use a VPN if you're a US citizen stuck outside the States. UK fans can watch on BT Sport.

Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream

Date: Thursday 8th September 2022

Kick off: 8pm BST / 3pm ET

Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

Watch anywhere: ExpressVPN

Free stream: Paramount+ free trial (US)

Manchester United seem to have turned a corner since new boss Erik ten Hag took the brave decision to drop Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo from his starting XI. They've now won four Premier League games in a row, including impressive victories over Liverpool and table-topping Arsenal, plus they're unbeaten in their last 18 Europa League games at Old Trafford. Can they keep the good form going on home turf this Thursday night?

It's perhaps a surprise, then, that both Maguire and Ronaldo make the starting line-up tonight, with Casemiro in midfield alongside Fred. Elanga comes into the side in place of Sancho, while Antony is rewarded for his debut goal with another start here.

David Silva returns to Manchester with Real Sociedad hoping to inflict some more pain on the red side of the city, just like he used to do while wearing the sky blue shirt of United's local rivals. The 36-year-old will have his work cut out, though. Erreala have never beaten English opponents in Europe, having only scored once in those six games, and failing to find the net in any of their previous four meetings with the Red Devils.

Head coach Imanol Alguacil has made four changes to his team, with Zubeldia, Le Normand, Sørloth and Cho dropping out in favour of Pacheco, Elustondo, Sadiq and Kubo.   

It's an 8pm GMT kick-off at Old Trafford today, Thursday 8th September 2022. Read on for more details on how to watch a Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream for the 2022/23 Europa League, wherever you are in the world.

Watch a Manchester United vs Real Sociedad free live stream

ViacomCBS

(Image credit: ViacomCBS)

Soccer fans in the States are lucky enough to be able to watch the UEFA Europa League live through Paramount Plus – and the first 7 days are free. After that, you'll pay $5.99 a month. No contract.

Manchester United vs Real Sociedad starts at 3pm ET on Thursday. Of course, Paramount Plus is only available within the US. Away from home?

Use a VPN to access the live stream without being blocked.

We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Manchester United vs Real Sociedad Paramount+ 7-day free trial

Manchester United vs Real Sociedad Paramount+ 7-day free trial
Watch UEFA Champions League and Europa League football for free with a 7-day free trial of Paramount Plus. You can choose from any of the Champions League and Europa League games. It's $5.99 per month once the trial expires. Cancel at any time.

Watch a Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream from abroad using a VPN

Even if you have subscribed to the relevant Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream rights holders, you won't be able to access them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. VPNs are a doddle to use and create a private connection between your device and the internet. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN which offers a 100 per cent risk-free money back guarantee. If you're not happy with the service any time within the first 30 days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up. Try it – you'll be surprised how simple it is.

How to use a VPN for Manchester United vs Real Sociedad

Using a VPN is incredibly simple: 

1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For the Europa League, you may wish to choose 'US' for Paramount Plus.

3. Then head over to Paramount Plus on your browser or device and enjoy the Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream.

If, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, then do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee with ExpressVPN. You could also try NordVPN, which also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, and Surfshark which offers 24 hour assistance.

UK: Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream with BT Sport

BT Sport

(Image credit: BT Sport)

BT Sport has the rights to the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and 52 2022/23 Premier League football matches in the UK. You can subscribe to BT Sport direct and also through both Sky TV and Virgin Media.

Alternatively, a BT Sport Monthly Pass costs just £25 a month in the UK, making it one of the cheapest ways to watch top-flight football without signing a long-term contract.

Full BT Sport package from £15 per month

Full BT Sport package from £15 per month
The other option for BT customers is to upgrade their TV package to include the sports channels. You can add all of the BT Sport channels for just £15 per month. For the Big Bundle, which includes all the Sky Sports too, it's £40 per month – more expensive, granted, but you'll never miss a match again.

BT Sport Monthly Pass: Premier League football for £25

BT Sport Monthly Pass: Premier League football for £25
This UK-only pass gets you full access to all the BT Sport channels for a simple monthly fee. Enjoy the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and more through the BT Sport app on smart TVs, mobiles, tablets, games consoles, Chromecast or through the BT Sport website. No contract, no fuss.

Those on Virgin Media will need the Virgin V6 box and a 4K TV to make sure they're getting the action at maximum resolution. With the basic Big Bundle, BT Sport is £18 per month but all five BT Sport channels, including Ultra HD, are included on the larger TV packages which start at £69 per month. More details on Virgin Media TV bundles.

BT Sport Ultimate is not available on the Sky TV platform but anyone with an Xbox, PlayStation, Apple TV or a Samsung TV can watch the Champions League in 4K HDR using the BT Sport app with the BT Sport Monthly Pass. No contract required.

Watch a Manchester United vs Real Sociedad live stream in Canada

Football fans in Canada can watch Manchester United vs Real Sociedad in the Europa League group stage live on DAZN.

A subscription to the streaming service costs $20 (CAD) a month or $150 (CAD) a year.

Manchester United vs Real Sociedad: watch on DAZN ($20/m)

Manchester United vs Real Sociedad: watch on DAZN ($20/m)
DAZN Canada has the rights to every Champions League 2022/23 live stream, plus Bundesliga, UEFA Europa, Premier League, US Sports, fightsports, and more. No contract. Cancel anytime.

Watch Manchester United vs Real Sociedad in Australia

If you're in Australia, local streaming service Stan Sport provides live coverage of the Europa League group stage fixture between Manchester United vs Real Sociedad, Champions League and Europa Conference League.

To begin with, there's a Stan 30-day free trial. After that, you choose your base package and the necessary sport add-on costs AU$10 a month on top (so, from $20 a month in total).

Stuck outside Oz at the moment? Don't forget that you can use a VPN to access a live stream without being blocked.

2022/23 Europa League fixtures for September

Europa League trophy

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

All matches kick off at 8pm GMT (3pm ET) unless otherwise stated.

Thursday 8th September (Matchday 1)
1. FC Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise 17:45
AEK Larnaca v Rennes 17:45
FC Zurich v Arsenal 17:45
Fenerbahce v Dynamo Kiev 17:45
HJK Helsinki v Real Betis 17:45
Ludogorets v Roma 17:45
Malmo FF v Braga 17:45
PSV Eindhoven v Bodo/Glimt 17:45
Crvena Zvezda v Monaco
Ferencvaros v Trabzonspor
Lazio v Feyenoord
Manchester United v Real Sociedad
Nantes v Olympiakos FC
Omonia Nicosia v Sheriff Tiraspol
SC Freiburg v Qarabag FK
Sturm Graz v FC Midtjylland

Thursday 15th September (Matchday 2)
FC Midtjylland v Lazio 17:45
Feyenoord v Sturm Graz 17:45
Monaco v Ferencvaros 17:45
Olympiakos FC v SC Freiburg 17:45
Qarabag FK v Nantes 17:45
Real Sociedad v Omonia Nicosia 17:45
Sheriff Tiraspol v Manchester United 17:45
Trabzonspor v Crvena Zvezda 17:45
Arsenal v PSV Eindhoven
Bodo/Glimt v FC Zurich
Braga v 1. FC Union Berlin
Dynamo Kiev v AEK Larnaca
Real Betis v Ludogorets
Rennesv Fenerbahce
Roma v HJK Helsinki
Union Saint-Gilloise v Malmo FF

Knockout stage dates

Play-Offs: 16/23 February

Round of 16: 9/16 March 2023

Quarter-Finals: 13/20 April 2023

Semi-Finals: 11/18 May 2023

Final: 31 May 2023

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