Real Madrid vs Sociedad: La Liga – prediction, team news, lineups

What the report says

Real Madrid host Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu in Madrid on Wednesday, August 26, with kick-off set for 9pm local time. Al Jazeera reported that the match brings together a Real side looking to start the La Liga campaign with back-to-back wins and a Sociedad team trying to recover from an opening defeat. The preview also noted that Jose Mourinho is making his first home appearance since returning to manage Real Madrid.

Madrid opened the season with a late 2-1 win at Espanyol, a match in which Jude Bellingham scored and new attacking options, including Kylian Mbappe, featured prominently. Al Jazeera said Mourinho used several high-profile starters and continues to face the task of settling the squad after a turbulent previous season without a major trophy. The article also highlighted his comments about protecting Vinicius Junior from repeated fouls and crowd pressure.

Sociedad began their league season with a 1-0 loss at Real Betis, leaving them with a difficult early schedule, including two away matches to start the campaign. The report said they won only three of 19 away league games last season, which adds context to the challenge in Madrid.

Recent head-to-head results favor Real, who won the last league meeting 4-1. Sociedad’s last league victory at the Bernabeu came in January 2019, while their most recent overall win there was a Copa del Rey upset in 2020. The fixture matters because both clubs are trying to establish early momentum in a season where Real want to avoid another trophyless run and Sociedad are aiming to be more competitive away from home.