La Liga,
Round 1
Real Madrid
REA
26/08/2026
20:00
Real Sociedad
RSO
-
Referee
- J. Manzano
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad preview
Real Madrid step out at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night for their rescheduled La Liga opener back under the command of Jose Mourinho.
Squad depth will be tested from the outset for the hosts, who are navigating an early-season defensive injury crunch with several key figures sidelined. Nonetheless, the attacking firepower led by Vinícius Júnior – who struck twice in this exact fixture last February – ensures Madrid will carry plenty of cutting edge going forward as they look to dictate the tempo under the lights.
Real Sociedad make the trip to the capital searching for an immediate reset following an opening-day 1-0 defeat against Real Betis.
History firmly favours the hosts, with Madrid having claimed victory in seven of the last eight meetings between the clubs across all competitions. While La Real possess the technical midfield quality to make life uncomfortable, Real Madrid’s ruthless finishing at home makes them strong favorites to maintain their perfect start.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad team news
Real Madrid are waiting on England star Jude Bellingham, who scored at the weekend but then left the pitch with ice strapped to his ankle.
Rodrygo, Eder Militao and Raul Asencio are all out.
Sociedad are missing long-term injured Alvaro Odriozola.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad predicted line ups
Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Bernardo, Valverde; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Real Sociedad: Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Martin, Gomez; Herrera, Soler; Kubo, Sucic, Barrenetxea; Oyarzabal
ℹ️ Official lineups are not available yet. They are usually announced 20–40 minutes before kickoff, depending on the competition.
Real Madrid v Sociedad form & stats
- The last six Liga meetings between these teams have resulted in victories for Madrid, who have conceeded two goals in total along the way
- Los Blancos have won seven of their last eight encounters with Sociedad in all competitions, the exception being a 4-4 home draw in the Copa del Rey semi-finals in 2025 in which they advanced 5-4 on aggregate through Antonio Rudiger’s extra-time goal
- Madrid are unbeaten in their last six Liga visits from Sociedad (W6 D2) since a 2-0 defeat in January 2019
- Kylian Mbappe has three goals across the last three editions of the fixtures, while Mikel Oyarzabal has scored once in each of the last two encounters
- Only one of the last 13 meetings between the sides in all competitions has finished 0-0, with each of their last nine matches against each other featuring at least one goal since a stalemate at Madrid in La Liga in January 2023
- Since winning at relegated Mallorca on February 28, Sociedad have gone six Liga away games without victory (D3 L3)
- They did, however, win all five of their away matches on their way to Copa del Rey glory, including away victories over Liga teams Alaves and Athletic Club before beating Atletico Madrid on penalties in the final in Seville
- Elche (1) and Osasuna (2) were the only teams to win fewer Liga away games than Sociedad (3) last season without suffering relegation
- Only six teams had a better goal difference on the road in the division than Sociedad (-8), who drew eight and lost eight of their other 16 such matches
- Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi (23) and Osasuna’s Ante Budimir (17) were the only players outside of the top two teams to outscore Oyarzabal (15) in the 2025/26 top flight
Where to watch Madrid v Real Sociedad: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Wednesday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Premier Sports 2 and streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.
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Real Madrid v Real Sociedad prediction
Real Madrid
2 – 0
Real Sociedad
