Real Madrid will endeavour to post a fourth straight win at the start of the 2025-26 La Liga campaign when they make the trip to Reale Arena on Saturday afternoon to tackle Real Sociedad.
Los Blancos are top of the La Liga table, boasting nine points from their opening three matches, while Real Sociedad are down in 16th, picking up just two points from their first three games of the season.
Match preview
Real Sociedad finished down in 11th spot in last season's La Liga table, which represented a very disappointing campaign for the club, so there is huge room for improvement during the current term.
Eleventh was actually the Basque outfit's lowest finish since 2018, and it has also been a tough start to the new campaign for the White and Blues, who have just two points to show from their first three matches.
La Real opened their season with a 1-1 draw against Valencia before sharing the points once more in a 2-2 draw with Espanyol on August 24, but they entered the international break off the back of a 1-0 loss to Real Oviedo.
Sergio Francisco's side were relatively quiet in terms of incomings during the summer transfer window, with their largest acquisition proving to be Yangel Herrera from Girona.
Real Sociedad's biggest departure was Martin Zubimendi to Arsenal, but they did manage to keep hold of the likes of Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal despite speculation surrounding their futures.
Real Sociedad manager Sergio Francisco on July 30, 2025
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have made a solid yet unspectacular start to the season, recording three straight wins over Osasuna, Real Oviedo and Mallorca, scoring six times in the process and conceding just once.
It would be fair to say that Alonso's side are yet to find their rhythm, but winning matches while they wait is an excellent habit to have, and they would move five points clear of the reigning champions Barcelona in the La Liga table with a victory on Saturday afternoon.
Only division leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Athletic Bilbao have nine points from three La Liga matches this season, and Los Blancos will be aiming to put another win on the board before opening their Champions League league-phase campaign against Marseille on September 16.
Real Madrid have won 102 of their previous 183 matches against Real Sociedad in all competitions, including 2-0 victories in their La Liga meetings during the 2024-25 campaign.
Los Blancos are unbeaten against Real Sociedad in La Liga since May 2023, while they have only lost once against the Basque outfit in the top flight of Spanish football since May 2019.
Real Sociedad La Liga form:
DDL
Real Madrid La Liga form:
WWW
Team News
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham on June 22, 2025
Real Sociedad will be missing new signing Herrera until October due to an injury problem, while Orri Oskarsson is also a major doubt for the home side this weekend.
There are not expected to be any major surprises in the home side's lineup for this match, with Oyarzabal, fresh from representing Spain during the international break, set to feature through the middle.
Kubo is again likely to play off the right, while Jon Gorrotxategi could earn another start in the middle of the home side's midfield on Saturday afternoon.
As for Real Madrid, no fresh issues have been reported during the international break, but Jude Bellingham, Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga and Endrick remain unavailable for selection.
Head coach Alonso could name an unchanged side from the one that started against Mallorca, with Franco Mastantuono in line to feature down the right, which would again leave Rodrygo on the bench.
Trent Alexander-Arnold could again keep out Dani Carvajal, while Eder Militao may feature ahead of Antonio Rudiger, with Alonso currently having some major decisions when it comes to team selection.
However, there will be starts in the final third of the field for both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Caleta-Car, Munoz; Kubo, Mendez, Gorrotxategi, Marin, Barrenetxea; Oyarzabal
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler; Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius
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We say: Real Sociedad 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Sociedad are capable of making this a tricky match for Real Madrid, but the Basque outfit have not exactly been brilliant early in the season, and we are backing Los Blancos to shade a close match on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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