José Mourinho walks back out at the Santiago Bernabéu as Real Madrid manager on Wednesday 26 August 2026, thirteen years after he last did it. This time, the opponent is Real Sociedad, the Copa del Rey holders, who have won once in their last 15 meetings with Madrid. Mourinho already has a win on the board: a scrappy 2-1 at Espanyol last weekend. The “hero” was Carlos Espí, who scored in the 90th minute. This is the delayed Matchday 1 fixture, so Madrid play their season opener in second place having already banked three points.
Form & What’s at Stake
Madrid’s win in Cornellà flattered nobody. Jude Bellingham headed them in front on nine minutes from an Arda Güler free-kick, Pere Calatrava levelled on the half-hour, and Madrid needed a substitute to rescue it. Kylian Mbappé, La Liga’s top scorer in each of his two seasons at the club, looked rusty and barely troubled the Espanyol defence. Mourinho’s second game is when the Bernabéu actually gets a look at what he has built.
Vinicius Junior didn’t cause much trouble for the Espanyol defence either; however, he was kicked more times in his first game than any other player in two games. The Brazilian has suffered the most fouls in recent years.
Real Sociedad arrive with one point fewer and rather more to worry about. They lost 1-0 at Real Betis on 21 August, beaten by Rodrigo Riquelme’s 63rd-minute finish at La Cartuja. The underlying numbers were kinder than the scoreline; Sociedad edged xG 1.58 to 1.06, but Betis had 18 shots to their 10, and only a superb night from Álex Remiro kept the margin at one. That is a familiar shape for this side. They have conceded in each of their last eight matches, friendlies included, and lost four of their final five pre-season games with a goal difference of 3-10.
The context is worth stating plainly. Pellegrino Matarazzo took Sociedad from 10th in the table to the Copa del Rey and Europa League football, then signed a contract extension to 2028 on 7 July 2026. He is not under pressure. But La Real’s away record is grim: one win, four draws and five defeats in their last 10 on the road.
Madrid’s home record over the same span: eight wins, one draw, one defeat.
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad – Team News & Injuries
Madrid’s defensive treatment table has not cleared. Éder Militão (muscle), Rodrygo (knee), Raúl Asencio and Ferland Mendy are all out, with Rodrygo roughly halfway through a 10-month rehabilitation and unlikely back before January 2027. Aurélien Tchouaméni returned to group training last week and should make the squad after being held back at Espanyol. Endrick’s minor muscle problem looks set to keep him out of the first home night of the season. Bellingham’s ankle needs assessing, though Mourinho would have to be genuinely worried to leave him out.
Sociedad are without Álvaro Odriozola long-term. Pablo Marín, Jon Gorrotxategi and Gonçalo Guedes are all sidelined with muscle issues. Ander Barrenetxea missed training on Monday 24 August with a thigh complaint and is a real doubt, despite appearing in most predicted XIs. Takefusa Kubo has been managed carefully since a knee sprain picked up at the World Cup, but has trained and is expected to start.
🔥 ¡PRIMER PARTIDO EN EL BERNABÉU!@HP pic.twitter.com/YV1W83erGW
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 26, 2026
Predicted line-ups
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Courtois – Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella – Bernardo Silva, Valverde; Güler, Bellingham – Vinícius Júnior; Mbappé.
Mourinho spent the summer rebuilding the team’s spine. Konaté and Bernardo Silva arrived as free agents, Cucurella from Chelsea in a deal worth up to €55m, and Denzel Dumfries from Inter for around €20m. Álvaro Carreras is the alternative at left-back if Cucurella is eased in. Dumfries starting ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold tells you what Mourinho wants from that flank. Yan Diomande joined Madrid for €133.9m, and Carlos Espí for €27m.
Real Sociedad (4-2-3-1): Remiro – Aramburu, Zubeldia, Martín, Gómez – Herrera, Soler; Kubo, Šućić – Barrenetxea; Oyarzabal.
Carlos Soler and Yangel Herrera are the new midfield pairing, signed from PSG and Girona respectively. Mikel Oyarzabal captains and leads the line. If Barrenetxea fails his fitness test, expect Sociedad to play narrower and defend even deeper.
The key battle
Vinícius Júnior contra Jon Aramburu. Their last meeting at the Bernabéu, on 14 February 2026, ended with Aramburu conceding a penalty to Vinícius on 25 minutes in a 4-1 defeat. Vinícius scored twice from the spot that night. Aramburu is quick enough to live with him for stretches, but he gets no protection when Sociedad’s block is stretched, and Madrid overloads the left with Cucurella underlapping.
The second thread is Sociedad’s box defending. Betis generated 28 touches in the Sociedad penalty area on Friday. Madrid will beat that number by the hour mark.
Predictions & Tips
Sociedad have not beaten Real Madrid since May 2023. They have won 38 of 185 meetings in the fixture’s history. They cannot defend their own box, they cannot score away from home, and they are walking into a stadium where the new manager needs a statement. Matarazzo’s side will have a spell — the xG at Betis proves they can create — but they will concede first and chase.
Madrid at 1.33 is no bet. The value sits in the goals. Sociedad have conceded in eight straight, and Madrid have needed 90 minutes to break down worse opponents than this. Madrid needs to push for more goals to make the home crowd happy.
Tip: Real Madrid win + over 2.5 goals. Predicted score: Real Madrid 3-1 Real Sociedad.
18+. Please gamble responsibly. Odds quoted at time of writing (Madrid 1.33, Sociedad 8.50, BTTS 1.72) and subject to change. BeGambleAware.org / GamCare.
