Union St. Gilloise vs Real Sociedad: Six Home Absences
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Union St. Gilloise host Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, 15 October 2026, at Den Dreef in Heverlee. The Belgian club enter the second league stage fixture unbeaten in five matches, though six squad members are sidelined through injury.
Six injured for the hosts while Raul Florucz leads the attack
Union St. Gilloise enter matchweek 2 missing six players through injury: Adem Zorgane, Kevin Mac Allister, Kevin Rodríguez, Ondřej Kričfaluši, Rob Schoofs, and Ross Sykes. Despite those absences, the Belgian side have maintained strong attacking metrics, generating 2.75 expected goals a game while conceding 1.12 across their last five fixtures with data. Raul Florucz leads their scoring chart with 4 goals across all competitions this season, complemented by winger Relebohile Mofokeng, who has scored 4 goals in nine appearances.
Real Sociedad concede heavily ahead of Belgium trip
Real Sociedad arrive sitting 24th in the league stage table with zero points following a 1-2 defeat to Bournemouth on 17 September 2026. The Spanish club have won two straight domestic games by 3-2 scorelines against Valencia on 20 September and Deportivo La Coruna on 11 October, but their defense continues to concede chances. Over their last five games, they have allowed 1.75 expected goals per match while creating 1.30, conceding ten total goals across that period. Luka Sučić leads their scoring with 3 goals this season. In defense, Jon Aramburu, Luken Beitia, and Álvaro Odriozola are all absent through injury.
Our model leans narrowly towards a Union St. Gilloise win
Our model leans narrowly towards a Union St. Gilloise win, reflecting a low-confidence call in favour of the hosts. Union St. Gilloise sit fifth in the Europa League standings after opening with a 3-0 away win at Plzen on 17 September, part of a run that also produced a 5-0 win over Lommel United and a 2-0 victory at Antwerp. However, the absence of six first-team players, including Mac Allister, Sykes, and Zorgane, narrows the gap against a Real Sociedad team that has won three of its last five fixtures despite defensive vulnerabilities.