Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad prediction 26.08.2026 | La Liga

For the last two seasons, Real Madrid finished behind Barcelona in La Liga, and returning to the throne in national football remains the primary goal for Jose Mourinho and his team in the 2026/27 campaign. Real Madrid had an excellent preseason and welcomed the start of the domestic league with a lot of confidence. However, they were made to work hard in the opening round, beating Espanyol 2-1 away thanks to a stoppage-time winner. The visitors deserved the three points, though, as they created significantly more xG, and a draw would have felt harsh on them.

Real Madrid is very active in the transfer market. Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz could leave Santiago Bernabéu. On the other hand, Martin Zubimendi has already verbally agreed to join Real Madrid from Arsenal. Also, Jose Mourinho is very interested in Victor Froholdt from Porto, too, who could move to the Spanish capital in the coming weeks. 

Real Madrid have some injury problems. They will be without Eder Militao, Endrick, Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Aurelien Tchouameni, and  Thiago Pitarch for the upcoming tie. 

After two mid-table seasons, Real Sociedad hopes for a better 2026/27 campaign. However, they struggled in the preseason, and their problems continued in the first La Liga game with a 1-0 defeat against Betis. The guests probably deserved to take something from the tie, but eventually, their inefficiency cost them points. Real Sociedad have serious defensive concerns, having conceded at least one goal in each of the last eight matches, including friendlies. 

The summer transfer window is far from over for Real Sociedad. According to reports, they are interested in Fabio Silva (from Borussia Dortmund), Hector Fort (Barcelona), Edson Alvarez (West Ham), and Marc Guiu (Chelsea). It remains to be seen whether some of these players will join Real Sociedad before the transfer window closes. 

Goncalo Guedes, Jon Gorrotxategi, Pablo Marin, and Alvaro Odriozola are injured and are not available for the trip to Madrid.