Champions League Match Preview: Real Sociedad vs Manchester United

Date, time and coverage: Wednesday 23 October, 19:45 GMT. Live TV coverage in the UK on Sky Sports 2/2HD. Follow the action live via ManUtd.com's rolling blog and MUTV Online's radio commentary.

Form guide: After conceding a late equaliser to Southampton on Saturday, United are seeking a morale boost as well as three points to consolidate a solid start in Champions League Group A. The Reds have already beaten Bayer Leverkusen at home and earned a hard-fought draw away to Shaktar Donetsk; meanwhile Real Sociedad are without a point after losing their matches to those same teams. However, they were victorious at the weekend, for the first time in eight games, when they beat Valencia 2-1 away.

Ins and outs: Nemanja Vidic missed the Southampton draw with a calf injury picked up in training last week, but David Moyes is hopeful that the skipper - who turned 32 on Monday - will be fit in time to face Sociedad. The visitors' captain Xabi Prieto returned after a month-long lay off with a thigh injury in the win over Valencia. Esteban Granero, on loan from QPR, will miss most of the season after the midfielder picked up a serious knee ligament injury.

Betting: Our betting partners bwin have United as firm favourites at 1.45, while Sociedad are 6.50 while the draw is 4.33. How about a flutter on Adnan Januzaj making his Champions League debut and scoring first in a 2-1 win for the Reds at a tasty 29.00?

The manager: Jagoba Arrasate moved up from the post of assistant coach last summer when Philippe Montanier left for Rennes having guided the club back into the Champions League for the first time in a decade. Former United defender Laurent Blanc was linked with the post, but Arrasate got the nod. As a player, the 35-year-old plied his trade as a striker at various clubs around the Basque region of his native Spain.

Star man: Antoine Griezmann scored a spectacular goal to help secure La Real’s progress into the group phase of the Champions League. The 22-year-old Frenchman’s mid-air scissors kick in the 2-0 qualifying win over Lyon in August was reminiscent of Wayne Rooney’s strike in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in 2011, and showed why a number of big clubs, including Arsenal and AC Milan, were said to be sniffing around him in the last transfer window.

Quote/Unquote: "I used to have an Eric Cantona shirt - he was my favourite player. They are a mythical club, one of the biggest in the world, and the stadium has always really attracted me as well. The players, fans and everyone in San Sebastian were all very excited to be drawn against Manchester United. It will be a beautiful thing to play against them." - Real Sociedad skipper Xabi Prieto.

Referee: Bas Nijhuis was the man in charge when two Wayne Rooney goals helped England beat Andorra 6-0 at Wembley in 2009. Two years later the Dutch official sent off AZ 67 Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado after he had kicked an Ajax supporter who had attacked him. Alkmaar walked off in protest, leading to the abandonment of the game, and the red card was later rescinded.official sent off AZ 67 Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado after he had kicked an Ajax supporter who had attacked him. Alkmaar walked off in protest, leading to the abandonment of the game, and the red card was later rescinded.

Sub-plot: United have won eight, drawn nine and lost four in 21 meetings with Spanish opposition at Old Trafford in all European competitions.

Did you know? Real Sociedad abandoned their policy of only using players from the Basque region of Spain when they signed Republic of Ireland striker John Aldridge from Liverpool in 1989.

Rivals watch: Shaktar Donetsk, also unbeaten in this competition like United, will face Bayer Leverkusen in Germany at the same time, 19:45 BST, on Wednesday night.