UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2017/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Anoeta - San Sebastian Thursday 7 December 2017 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Real Sociedad de Fútbol Group L - Matchday 6 FC Zenit Previous meetings 2 Match background 5 Team facts 6 Squad list 8 Fixtures and results 10 Match-by-match lineups 14 Match officials 16 Legend 18 1 Real Sociedad de Fútbol - FC Zenit Thursday 7 December 2017 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Anoeta, San Sebastian Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers FC Zenit - Real Sociedad de Rigoni 5, Kokorin 24, 28/09/2017 GS 3-1 St Petersburg Fútbol 60; Llorente 41 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Real Sociedad de Fútbol 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 3 FC Zenit 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 Real Sociedad de Fútbol - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers FC Krasnodar - Real Sociedad 3-0 Joãozinho 71 (P), 28/08/2014 PO Krasnodar de Fútbol agg: 3-1 Pereyra 88, Ari 90 Real Sociedad de Fútbol - FC 21/08/2014 PO 1-0 San Sebastian Xabi Prieto 71 Krasnodar UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Real Sociedad de Fútbol - FC 3-0 Kovačević 55, 75, De 03/11/1998 R2 San Sebastian Dinamo Moskva agg: 6-2 Paula 69 Nekrasov 72, 73; FC Dinamo Moskva - Real 20/10/1998 R2 2-3 Moscow Kovačević 3, 11, De Sociedad de Fútbol Pedro 36 (P) FC Zenit - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 24/11/2015 GS FC Zenit - Valencia CF 2-0 St Petersburg Shatov 15, Dzyuba 74 João Cancelo 55, 16/09/2015 GS Valencia CF - FC Zenit 2-3 Valencia André Gomes 73; Hulk 9, 44, Witsel 76 UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Rondón 48, Hulk 72; 2-2 23/04/2015 QF FC Zenit - Sevilla FC St Petersburg Bacca 6 (P), Gameiro agg: 3-4 85 Bacca 73, Denis 16/04/2015 QF Sevilla FC - FC Zenit 2-1 Seville Suárez 88; Ryazantsev 29 2 Real Sociedad de Fútbol - FC Zenit Thursday 7 December 2017 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Anoeta, San Sebastian UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Alderweireld 74 (og); 26/11/2013 GS FC Zenit - Club Atlético de Madrid 1-1 St Petersburg Adrián López 53 Miranda 40, Arda Club Atlético de Madrid - FC 18/09/2013 GS 3-1 Madrid Turan 64, Baptistão Zenit 80; Hulk 58 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Danny 49, Fayzulin 21/11/2012 GS FC Zenit - Málaga CF 2-2 St Petersburg 87; Buonanotte 8, Seba 9 18/09/2012 GS Málaga CF - FC Zenit 3-0 Malaga Isco 3, 76, Saviola 13 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Raúl González 25, 57, 10/12/2008 GS Real Madrid CF - FC Zenit 3-0 Madrid Robben 50 Danny 25; Hubočan 4 30/09/2008 GS FC Zenit - Real Madrid CF 1-2 St Petersburg (og), Van Nistelrooy 31 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 2-1 Franco 75, Tomasson 21/02/2008 R3 Villarreal CF - FC Zenit Villarreal agg: 2-2 ag 90; Pogrebnyak 31 13/02/2008 R3 FC Zenit - Villarreal CF 1-0 St Petersburg Pogrebnyak 63 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 06/04/2006 QF FC Zenit - Sevilla FC St Petersburg Hyun 51; Kepa 64 agg: 2-5 Saviola 14, 80, Martí 30/03/2006 QF Sevilla FC - FC Zenit 4-1 Seville 54 (P), Adriano 90+2; A. Kerzhakov 45 A. Kerzhakov 11, 88; 24/11/2005 GS FC Zenit - Sevilla FC 2-1 St Petersburg Saviola 90+3 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Arshavin 35; Júlio 25/11/2004 GS FC Zenit - Sevilla FC 1-1 St Petersburg Baptista 71 UEFA Intertoto Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Popovich 30, 63; 2-2 22/08/2000 F FC Zenit - RC Celta de Vigo St Petersburg Karpin 83, McCarthy agg: 3-4 89 Karpin 22, Juanfran 08/08/2000 F RC Celta de Vigo - FC Zenit 2-1 Vigo 90; Igonine 3 3 Real Sociedad de Fútbol - FC Zenit Thursday 7 December 2017 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Anoeta, San Sebastian Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Real Sociedad de Fútbol 2 2 0 0 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 5 3 0 2 8 8 FC Zenit 10 4 5 1 7 1 0 6 2 0 1 1 19 5 6 8 26 34 4 Real Sociedad de Fútbol - FC Zenit Thursday 7 December 2017 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Anoeta, San Sebastian Match background With qualification for the round of 32 already under lock and key, Real Sociedad and Zenit go head to head in San Sebastian with their eyes on the prize of first place in Group L. • The Russian visitors need to avoid defeat to remain in top spot, while their Spanish hosts require a win to displace them. Previous meetings • The sides met for the first time on matchday two, Aleksandr Kokorin scoring twice in the Saint Petersburg Stadium to add to an early Emiliano Rigoni strike and give Zenit a 3-1 victory; Diego Llorente got Real Sociedad's consolation goal. • Real Sociedad's record in five encounters with Russian teams now stands at W3 L2, with victories in both home games. They were eliminated from the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League play-offs – their most recent European campaign prior to this one – by Krasnodar, a 1-0 home win preceding a 3-0 defeat in Russia. • Zenit's results in 19 matches against Spanish sides are broken down as follows: W5 D6 L8. Their only victory in Spain came in their most recent fixture, 3-2 at Valencia in the opening group game of the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League. They had lost on all seven of their earlier visits. Form guide • Real Sociedad have won their last four European fixtures in San Sebastian without conceding, scoring 13 times themselves. In the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League they are on a run of 12 successive home wins, in which they have let in just one goal – to another Spanish club, Atlético Madrid. • The last team to deny La Real victory in front of their own fans in this competition were Sporting CP in the second round of the 1988/89 UEFA Cup (0-0). The last non-Spanish side to score against them in San Sebastian in this competition were Dukla Praha in the same season a round earlier (a 2-1 home win). • Zenit are undefeated in six UEFA outings (W5 D1) and are guaranteed springtime European football for the eighth year in a row. • Although Real Sociedad played in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2003/04 and 2013/14, the San Sebastian outfit are making their debut at this juncture of the UEFA Europa League. • UEFA Cup winners in 2008, Zenit finished third in Russia last term. They have competed in either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League group stage in every season since – and including – 2010/11. Links and trivia • The journey from St Petersburg to San Sebastian is around 2,850km. • Zenit's Matías Kranevitter played in Spain with Atlético Madrid (2015/16) and Sevilla (2016/17), for whom he played in a 4-0 win at Real in January 2017. • Real have the best disciplinary record in the competition, having incurred just one yellow card in the first five matchdays. • La Real are the highest-scoring team in the competition after five games with 15 goals – one more than Zenit. They also lead the way with most goal attempts (79) and most possession (67%) and share top billing with Nice for highest pass completion rate (91%). • Zenit's Rigoni is the competition's joint-leading scorer (alongside Milan's André Silva) with six goals; Kokorin is next in line with five. • Real's Sergio Canales currently tops the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League assists chart with five – one more than team-mate Xabi Prieto. The coaches • Real Sociedad boss since 2015, Eusebio Sacristán can complete a full set of major UEFA trophies this season, having won the European Cup and Cup Winners' Cup as a midfielder with Barcelona. He was also Barcelona's assistant coach and B team boss. • Roberto Mancini took charge of Zenit in June 2017. A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner as a player with Sampdoria in 1989/90 and Lazio in 1998/99, he coached Internazionale Milano and Manchester City to league championships, and more recently claimed a Turkish Cup triumph with Galatasaray. 5 Real Sociedad de Fútbol - FC Zenit Thursday 7 December 2017 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Anoeta, San Sebastian Team facts Real Sociedad de Fútbol Formed: 1909 Nickname: La Real UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 2 (1982) Spanish Cup: 2 (1987) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2016/17: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2015/16: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2014/15: play-offs 2013/14: UEFA Champions League group stage 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: did not take part in UEFA club competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 4-0: Real Sociedad v Rosenborg 14/09/17, UEFA Europa League group stage • Biggest away win 0-6: Vardar v Real Sociedad 19/10/17, UEFA Europa League group stage • Heaviest home defeat 1-3: Real Sociedad v Liverpool 22/10/75, UEFA Cup second round first leg 0-2: Real Sociedad v Shakhtar Donetsk 17/09/13, UEFA Champions League group stage • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: Liverpool v Real Sociedad 04/11/75, UEFA Cup second round second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 4-0: Real Sociedad v Rosenborg (see above) • Biggest away win 0-6: Vardar v Real Sociedad (see above) • Heaviest home