Prediction for the Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad match: another challenge for 'the Special One' - 26.08.2026
At last, it's time for the main event. On August 26, Real Madrid will play their first home match of the La Liga season—Real Sociedad are coming to the Santiago Bernabéu.
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Technically, this is a first-round fixture, although the campaign has already kicked off for the Madrid side: due to several players participating in the late stages of the World Cup, their opening game was postponed.
Ironically, by the time this head-to-head takes place, both teams will have already played two matches. On Saturday, Real faced Espanyol and snatched a 2-1 victory. José Mourinho's debut after returning to Madrid was a nail-biter: Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the ninth minute, but Alex Calatrava soon equalized. Just when it looked like Madrid would drop two points, substitute Carlos Espi netted the winner in the 90th minute.
Still, it would be a stretch to call Los Blancos' performance flawless. After a lively start, the team lost some momentum, and their star-studded attack—featuring Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior—is clearly not yet firing on all cylinders. That's understandable: several key players returned late from the World Cup and had a shortened preseason.
Now comes Mourinho's first home test. The Portuguese manager will surely want to see more organization and less space offered to the opposition. Especially with a congested schedule ahead: the Sociedad clash is the second of three matches in eight days, and on August 30, Madrid will host Málaga.
Sociedad, meanwhile, will likely look to play off their opponents and take advantage of the hosts’ less-than-peak physical condition. The Basques are a team that can really make the favorites work, especially if Real allow them to control possession and exploit the spaces between the lines.
For Madrid, this is more than just another fixture. It's Mourinho's team's first appearance in front of their home fans this season. After a hard-fought win over Espanyol, the crowd will be expecting a more convincing display. Sociedad will be a real test: this time, Madrid can't just count on individual brilliance or a last-gasp goal.
The match will be played on August 26 at the Santiago Bernabéu, with kickoff at 21:00 local time. On paper, Madrid are clear favorites, but these early home games often turn out to be more intriguing than expected. Real now have to prove that the win over Espanyol was not just a last-minute rescue, but the start of a serious title challenge.
My prediction: Real Madrid win.
