In such a globalized world it is difficult not to already know all the details that stand out from the three rivals that Real Sociedad will face in the group stage of the Europa League. The group F in which the Naples, he AZ Alkmaar and the Rijeka FC, together with the txuri-urdin team, They say that it is the closest thing in this edition to a group of death. The truth is that it seems that there are three teams with real options to qualify, and that the Rijeka could be Cinderella. In the San Sebastian club, above the entity of the rivals, what has been liked the most is that it does not have very long trips, so the concern for wear and tear due to travel is better. And from there the curiosities appear.
The first curiosity is in Holland, in the AZ Alkmaar, runner-up last year and two-time champion of the Eredivisie. In the Dutch team plays a footballer intended by the Royal Society this past summer when there was speculation about the departure of Ødegaard, which would then end up being produced. It's about the young Calvin stengs, an attacker of which there are very good reports in the offices of Anoeta. At the end, Stengs, whose agent came to recognize the offer of the Royal and the interest in signing for the Donostiarras, stayed in AZ, and Ødegaard's replacement was David Silva.
In the Rijeka of Croatia perhaps it is more difficult to find a curiosity. But there may be. First, the Croatian team eliminated Copenaghe in the final preview with the most bizarre play that is remembered in time: a counterattack in which the defenders of the Danish team bump into each other and when the Rijeka forward throws a Vaseline and hits the crossbar, but the ball rebounds and a Copenhagen player hits his own goal. And when it comes to names, we find a little-known national representative in our football. A Galician U17 international midfielder Dani Iglesias playing in the one that was third last year in the Croatian league, the national champion in 2017.
And finally, there is the most mediatic of the rivals that Real Sociedad will have to face, the Naples. Known are Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne. They are the most mediatic. But then the Spanish international player appears Fabian Ruiz and the ex of Celtic, Lobotka. But among all of them there is a Mexican player with a great future who has been on more than one occasion on Real's radar: Hirving Lozano. He could have made his landing in Europe through the Real. But there was no agreement. Although the most curious sounding name of the Naples It's of Fernando llorente. Former player of Athletic, in recent years he has been constantly associated with the Royal Society, but nothing was ever closed. The Riojan forward has a connection with Saint Sebastian important, because his wife is from Donostia and has a house in San Sebastián. In fact, his wedding took place in the old part of Donostia, and he is seen walking through the streets of San Sebastián quite regularly.