Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says his side "have a plan" to secure the margin of victory they need against Real Sociedad to top their Europa League group.
While a spot in the knockout stages of the competition has already been secured, United need to win by a two-goal margin to finish as Group E winners – which comes with the added benefit of avoiding a two-legged play-off against one of the eight teams to drop out of the Champions League.
Instead, group winners will resume their involvement in the Europa League from the round of 16, which would prove a valuable boost not only due to ensuring United would be a step closer to the final, but also in light of the hectic fixture schedule caused by the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Securing such a win is the clear target for Ten Hag and his side, who lost the reverse fixture in the opening match of the group stage.
"Obviously, it's important. We can win tomorrow night. We know what we have to do - win by a two-goal margin," he said in Wednesday's press conference.
"But if you want to win the trophy you have to win all the games, so we have to win every one.
"It's six weeks ago or so and it's a different team, not all the players then are fit. We're growing, developing, making good progress.
"We know it's difficult to win games here but we like the challenge. We know we have to win by two goals, we have a plan for that and we will do everything to get it done.
"I don't think you speak about how far you come. You can't win anything at this moment, it's game by game and we have to win every game."
While United have lost their last two matches against Spanish opponents, against Atletico Madrid in last season's Champions League and La Real earlier this campaign, they have won six of their last seven away games in the Europa League, scoring 19 goals at an average of 2.7 per game.
La Real, on the other hand, have won their last two Europa League home matches, as many wins as in their previous 10 such games in the competition (D4 L4). They last won three consecutive home fixtures in a single season in major European competitions in the 1998-99 UEFA Cup.
United will be depleted for Thursday's game, with Antony, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial all unavailable, though the trio could well be back soon.
"Jadon was ill, Martial is still in rehab. He did train this morning so we're going in the right direction," Ten Hag added.
Kompany relishing 'special game' when Bayern travel to Frankfurt
Vincent Kompany is relishing a "special game" when Bayern Munich face Eintracht Frankfurt in a battle of the Bundesliga's top two teams on Sunday.
Bayern top the table with 13 points after their first five games, with Eintracht just a point behind after recovering from losing their opener with four straight wins.
However, Kompany's side travel to Deutsche Bank Park seeking a response after two winless games.
After their perfect start to the Bundesliga campaign was ended by a 1-1 draw with reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen, they went down 1-0 to Aston Villa in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, Kompany is only looking forward.
"It is a special game in Frankfurt against a very tough team," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "They have a lot of young players with a lot of talent, so the team can grow.
"For us, it is a normal game. We have to get our points and keep going in the Bundesliga. I am only focused on the next game.
"It is always important after every game, win or lose, to say the game is now behind us and now comes the next game. We have a lot to take into our next game and that should be the reason for our success."
Once again, Bayern will be without Jamal Musiala, who remains sidelined with a hip injury, and Kompany hopes to have the Germany attacking midfielder available as soon as possible.
"We know how good and how important Jamal is for the club and Germany," the Bayern head coach added. "He is a young player and our total priority is to get him back fit and stay fit."
Sinner reaches 250 career wins after seeing off Daniel in Shanghai opener
Jannik Sinner notched up his 250th career win after defeating Taro Daniel in his Shanghai Masters opener.
The world number one wrapped up a commanding 6-1 6-4 victory over his Japanese opponent in just over an hour-and-a-quarter on Saturday.
Sinner, who is fresh from reaching the Beijing final last time out, is targeting his seventh silverware of the season, in which he has already triumphed at the Australian Open and US Open.
"I felt quite comfortable today," said the Italian, who set up a clash with 31st seed Tomas Etcheverry. "I also feel in good shape physically, which is very important for me.
"Of course, I will try to improve for tomorrow's performance, but today I was serving really, really well - especially in important moments - and was moving well."
Data Debrief: 250 up for Sinner
Sinner became the first player born in the 2000s to reach 250 career wins, while taking his tally for a remarkable campaign to 60.
The Italian, who won 64 matches last term, is the sixth player aged 23 or under to record 60 or more ATP wins in successive seasons, after Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Sinner also maintained his perfect record in opening-round matches this year (14-0), and is now 51-0 against players ranked outside the ATP top 20.
Napoli 3-1 Como: Lukaku and McTominay on target to extend hosts' Serie A lead
Romelu Lukaku continued his fine start to life at Napoli as the Belgian notched a goal and two assists in his side's 3-1 win over Como on Friday.
The hosts found themselves ahead with just 26 seconds on the clock when Scott McTominay was picked out by Lukaku, with the Scotland international firing home his first goal for Gli Azzurri off the post.
But Como would draw themselves level two minutes before the break when Gabriel Strefezza's strike from distance rifled into the bottom corner.
However, Antonio Conte's side needed just eight minutes after the interval to restore their advantage when Sergi Roberto brought down Mathias Olivera in the box, with Lukaku stepping up from 12 yards to net his fourth Serie A goal of the season.
Napoli continued to push for a third goal to secure the victory, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going closest but saw his effort saved by Emil Audero.
But the points were sealed in the 86th minute when Lukaku turned provider once again, holding off his marker before slipping through substitute David Neres who slotted home with a fine finish to extend Napoli's lead at the top of the standings to four points.
Data Debrief: Lukaku continues Conte love story
Lukaku has been a player reborn under Conte's stewardship. The Belgian is the player who has been involved in the most goals in his first five appearances for Napoli in Serie A since the Italian top-flight returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05) with three goals and four assists.
He has also managed to better his assist tally for the whole of last season, managing just three in 32 appearances for Roma last term.
McTominay's goal after 26 seconds is the third-fastest scored by Napoli since the start of a Serie A match in the three points for a win era, after Hirving Lozano's goal against Hellas Verona in 2021 (nine seconds) and Ezequiel Lavezzi's goal against Genoa in 2008 (25 seconds).
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