Real Sociedad host Lyon in the Europa League. Sociedad have had a tricky run of results lately, while Lyon have been more productive in attack, even if their form has swung between big wins and some sloppy losses.
Lyon won their opening game in this season's league phase, while Real Sociedad lost theirs, so neither side has really settled into a rhythm yet. That sets up an interesting one to pick apart before thinking about how it might go.
Analysis updated .
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Form has been a mixed bag for both
Real Sociedad's recent sample, spanning La Liga and other competitions, shows more losses than wins and more goals conceded than scored. That's not the form of a team brimming with confidence right now.
Real Sociedad: 20 completed matches; Lyon: 20 completed matches.
Real Sociedad
- Win
- 25% 5 / 20
- Draw
- 25% 5 / 20
- Loss
- 50% 10 / 20
- Scored
- 27
- Conceded
- 36
- Difference
- -9
Lyon
- Win
- 55% 11 / 20
- Draw
- 15% 3 / 20
- Loss
- 30% 6 / 20
- Scored
- 41
- Conceded
- 30
- Difference
- +11
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendlies Clubs | Real Sociedad | Athletic Club | 02.10.2026 | 0-1 |
| La Liga | Valencia | Real Sociedad | 20.09.2026 | 2-3 |
| UEFA Europa League | Real Sociedad | Bournemouth | 17.09.2026 | 1-2 |
| La Liga | Real Sociedad | Atletico Madrid | 13.09.2026 | 0-3 |
| La Liga | Elche | Real Sociedad | 07.09.2026 | 2-3 |
| La Liga | Real Sociedad | Celta Vigo | 03.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| La Liga | Real Sociedad | Espanyol | 29.08.2026 | 2-1 |
| La Liga | Real Madrid | Real Sociedad | 26.08.2026 | 4-1 |
| La Liga | Real Betis | Real Sociedad | 21.08.2026 | 1-0 |
| Friendlies Clubs | Chelsea | Real Sociedad | 15.08.2026 | 3-1 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | Lyon | Rennes | 19.09.2026 | 4-0 |
| UEFA Europa League | Anderlecht | Lyon | 16.09.2026 | 1-2 |
| Ligue 1 | Paris FC | Lyon | 12.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| Ligue 1 | Lyon | Auxerre | 04.09.2026 | 3-1 |
| Ligue 1 | Lyon | Le Havre | 29.08.2026 | 1-1 |
| UEFA Champions League | Lyon | Fenerbahçe | 26.08.2026 | 1-2 |
| Ligue 1 | Toulouse | Lyon | 22.08.2026 | 0-2 |
| UEFA Champions League | Fenerbahçe | Lyon | 18.08.2026 | 1-1 |
| UEFA Champions League | Lyon | Sparta Praha | 11.08.2026 | 3-0 |
| UEFA Champions League | Sparta Praha | Lyon | 04.08.2026 | 2-1 |
Lyon's numbers look healthier on the surface, with more wins than losses and a decent goal difference, but the detail tells a patchier story. They've had home defeats mixed in among some comfortable victories, so it's not been a smooth run either.
Neither side looks fully settled, so recent form alone doesn't point strongly either way.
Comparative Team Statistics: Real Sociedad vs Lyon
History offers little to go on
The only meetings on record between these two go back to 2013, when they played out a Champions League tie. Both squads and situations have changed completely since then.
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | Real Sociedad | Lyon | 28.08.2013 | 2-0 |
| UEFA Champions League | Lyon | Real Sociedad | 20.08.2013 | 0-2 |
It's not something we'd lean on for this fixture. Old results like these don't tell us much about how either side is playing now.
Early days in the league phase
These standings only reflect one match each in this season's Europa League league phase. Lyon won their opener and sit well up the table on three points, while Real Sociedad lost theirs and currently sit near the bottom with none.
| № | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF/GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Bournemouth | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/1 | 3 |
| 11 | Lyon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/1 | 3 |
| 12 | Torreense | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/1 | 3 |
| 21 | Jagiellonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 |
| 22 | Real Sociedad | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 |
| 23 | Anderlecht | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 |
It's a tiny sample, but it does mean Lyon arrive with some early momentum in this competition specifically, even if their broader form has been patchier.
Lyon's better start to the league phase is worth noting, though one match is far from conclusive.
Not much to report on team news
The only player note we have is that Lyon's M. Ouedraogo picked up an assist in the data we've seen, though that comes from a single match and doesn't tell us much about the wider squad.
There's nothing comparable listed for Real Sociedad, so we can't draw any real conclusions about personnel for either side ahead of this one.
Squad lists and player details
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Gómez | Spain | 26 | Defender | 173 | 71 |
| Gonçalo Guedes | Portugal | 29 | Attacker | 179 | 68 |
| Carlos Soler | Spain | 29 | Midfielder | 180 | 76 |
| Y. Herrera | Venezuela | 28 | Midfielder | 184 | 78 |
| L. Sučić | Croatia | 24 | Midfielder | 185 | 78 |
| T. Kubo | Japan | 25 | Attacker | 173 | 64 |
| Álex Remiro | Spain | 31 | Goalkeeper | 192 | 79 |
| Aihen Muñoz | Spain | 29 | Defender | 175 | 68 |
| Zubeldia | Spain | 29 | Defender | 181 | 73 |
| Barrenetxea | Spain | 24 | Midfielder | 175 | 74 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 29 | Attacker | 181 | 79 |
| O. Óskarsson | Iceland | 22 | Attacker | 186 | 76 |
| Jon Pacheco | Spain | 25 | Defender | 184 | 77 |
| Beñat Turrientes | Spain | 24 | Midfielder | 181 | 70 |
| Unai Marrero | Spain | 25 | Goalkeeper | 189 | 82 |
| J. Aramburu | Venezuela | 24 | Defender | 176 | 71 |
| A. Zakharyan | Russia | 23 | Midfielder | 182 | 73 |
| M. Sarr | France | 21 | Defender | 194 | 77 |
| Jon Gorrotxategi | Spain | 24 | Midfielder | 177 | n/a |
| Mikel Goti | Spain | 24 | Midfielder | 185 | 75 |
| Pablo Marín | Spain | 23 | Midfielder | 178 | 71 |
| Luken Beitia | Spain | 22 | Defender | 191 cm | 77 kg |
| A. Lebarbier | France | 22 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Héctor Fort | Spain | 20 | Midfielder | 185 | 78 |
| J. Ochieng | Kenya | 23 | Attacker | 185 cm | n/a |
| Gorka Carrera | Spain | 21 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| Jon Martín | Spain | 20 | Defender | 185 | 83 |
| Alex Garcia | Spain | 19 | Attacker | 180 cm | 70 kg |
| Ibai Aguirre | Spain | 19 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton Mata | Angola | 33 | Defender | 180 | 72 |
| L. Openda | Belgium | 26 | Attacker | 177 | 75 |
| C. Tolisso | France | 32 | Attacker | 181 | 81 |
| N. Tagliafico | Argentina | 34 | Defender | 172 | 67 |
| A. Maitland-Niles | England | 29 | Midfielder | 177 | 71 |
| F. Bacher | Austria | 25 | Defender | 190 | 82 |
| Abner | Brazil | 26 | Attacker | 182 | 75 |
| R. Descamps | France | 30 | Goalkeeper | 194 | 74 |
| O. Mangala | Belgium | 28 | Midfielder | 178 | 80 |
| M. Niakhaté | Senegal | 30 | Defender | 190 | 82 |
| Keito Nakamura | Japan | 26 | Attacker | 180 | 73 |
| D. Greif | Slovakia | 29 | Goalkeeper | 197 | 82 |
| P. Šulc | Czechia | 25 | Midfielder | 177 | 76 |
| T. Tessmann | USA | 25 | Defender | 188 | 86 |
| M. Bidstrup | Denmark | 25 | Midfielder | 175 | 75 |
| T. Morton | England | 23 | Midfielder | 182 | 75 |
| R. Kluivert | Netherlands | 25 | Defender | 187 | 70 |
| J. Bengui João | France | 21 | Goalkeeper | 190 | 76 |
| E. Nuamah | Ghana | 22 | Attacker | 178 | 71 |
| M. Fofana | Belgium | 21 | Attacker | 169 | 61 |
| N. Nartey | Denmark | 21 | Midfielder | 180 | 70 |
| J. Duranville | Belgium | 20 | Attacker | 170 | 59 |
| Z. Athekame | Switzerland | 21 | Defender | 181 | 74 |
| K. Boudache | France | 20 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| M. Ouédraogo | Burkina Faso | 23 | Midfielder | 183 | n/a |
| M. de Carvalho | France | 21 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Y. Konan | Côte d'Ivoire | 19 | Goalkeeper | n/a | n/a |
| N. Kamara | France | 19 | Defender | 185 | n/a |
| R. Himbert | France | 18 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| K. Merah | France | 19 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Steeve Kango | n/a | n/a | Defender | n/a | n/a |
With so little settled about either side's current form, and no clear market angle to test it against, we're happy to sit this one out.
Real Sociedad's home form has been shaky and Lyon have shown they can trouble decent sides away from home, but picking a confident winner right now feels like a stretch.
Who will win?
