Real Madrid’s opening win came despite an xG of just 0.26, and a heavily rotated XI — with 11 regulars missing — will hand a debut to a new-look defence featuring Konaté and Huijsen. Real Sociedad created 1.4 xG in their defeat but failed to score, and their 18 shots conceded sug…
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Sign inReal Madrid welcome Real Sociedad on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, with both sides playing their second La Liga fixture of the new campaign. The match was postponed from an earlier date, making it Real Sociedad’s delayed league opener after their Friday trip to Real Betis, while José Mourinho’s men will have begun their season at Espanyol four days earlier. Kick‑off is 21:00 CEST.
Real Madrid continue to manage a lengthy injury list. Raúl Asencio, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Éder Militão and Thiago Pitarch were all still recovering in the final days of pre‑season and are considered major doubts for this match. That puts the spotlight on a reshuffled backline, where Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konaté and Antonio Rüdiger are expected to carry greater responsibility in central defence, while Marc Cucurella, Álvaro Carreras and Denzel Dumfries provide the wide options. Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin give Mourinho two experienced goalkeeping picks.
For Real Sociedad, the picture became clearer after their visit to Betis. Mikel Oyarzabal travelled but was not risked from the start; the World Cup‑winning forward is expected to be in contention here. Pablo Marín and Gonçalo Guedes, both recently back from fitness issues, were not yet ready for the Betis match and will be assessed. Álvaro Odriozola and Jon Gorrotxategi remain sidelined through injury, while Jon Pacheco was working individually, leaving his availability uncertain.
Mourinho’s squad carries the psychological advantage of a dominant recent head‑to‑head record: Los Blancos won both league meetings in 2025/26 and also took the final clash of the previous campaign. Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior headline an attack that will aim to stretch a Sociedad defence still finding its competitive rhythm.
Pellegrino Matarazzo became the first American head coach to win a major European trophy when he led La Real to the Copa del Rey in the spring, beating Atlético Madrid in the final. Oyarzabal was the team’s talisman with a career‑best 15 league goals last term, and he added a World Cup winner’s medal with Spain in July. The Txuri‑Urdin finished tenth in La Liga in 2025/26 with a –2 goal difference, but the cup triumph underlined their ability to rise on big occasions. A 3‑1 friendly defeat to Chelsea this summer served as a warning that pre‑season sharpness still needs work.
With Militão and Asencio likely missing, Madrid will field an unfamiliar centre‑back pairing – probably Rüdiger alongside Huijsen or Konaté. Oyarzabal’s intelligent movement and clinical finishing, honed during a stellar 15‑goal domestic campaign and five World Cup strikes for Spain, will target any uncertainty in that reshuffled unit. How well the new‑look Madrid backline copes could decide the contest.
Both clubs enter a congested period: Real Sociedad are also competing in the Europa League, Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercopa, while Madrid continue their domestic and European commitments. A positive result here would give either side valuable momentum for the weeks ahead.
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