Real Sociedad has had a slow start to their La Liga campaign, managing just one win from four matches—a 1-0 victory over Espanyol in Barcelona.
The team has suffered two home defeats, losing 2-1 to both Rayo Vallecano and Deportivo Alaves. Before the international break, they earned a goalless draw at Getafe, leaving them in 12th place, far below their expectations.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid, starting the day in 2nd place, have also shown some inconsistency.
They dropped points in both of their away games so far, drawing 1-1 with Mallorca on the opening day and again with Las Palmas by the same scoreline. However, the introduction of Kylian Mbappé has energized the squad. In their most recent match, Mbappé scored a goal in a 2-0 win over Real Betis, converting a penalty after a selfless gesture from Vinicius, who handed him the opportunity.
Real Sociedad’s squad was weakened over the summer with key departures, including starting center-back Robin Le Normand (to Atlético Madrid) and midfielder Mikel Merino (to Arsenal), both of whom were part of Spain’s European Championship-winning team. Diego Rico and Alex Sola also left for Getafe. New arrivals include Sergio Gomez (from Man City), Luka Sucic (from Salzburg), Nayef Aguerd (on loan from West Ham), and Icelandic striker Orri Oskarsson (from Copenhagen for €20 million).
Captain Mikel Oyarzabal is expected to return from suspension, but the team remains without injured players Elustondo, Odriozola, Zakharyan, Hamari Traoré, and Brais Mendez. There are also doubts about the fitness of Jon Pacheco and Ander Barrenetxea.
For Real Madrid, some key players might return from injury, such as Aurélien Tchouaméni and Ferland Mendy, though David Alaba and Dani Ceballos remain sidelined.
Major stars Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga are also unavailable. Fans are hoping that Mbappé, who has scored three goals in five appearances so far, can continue to shine.
Over the summer, Real Madrid saw the departure of important players such as Joselu and Nacho, while club legend Toni Kroos retired. Less significant exits include Latasa, who transferred to Valladolid, and Nico Paz, who joined Calcio Como.
Defensively, Real Madrid are stretched, with Éder Militão returning from the international break injured, and both Alaba and Joan Martinez out with cruciate ligament injuries, leaving only Rüdiger and Vallejo in the central defense.
Prediction
Real Sociedad’s recent home games in La Liga have generally been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals in 10 of their last 14 matches.
Similarly, Real Madrid have also been involved in low-scoring matches, with 12 of their last 14 seeing fewer than 2.5 goals. This game is expected to follow the same trend, with a narrow win likely for Real Madrid.
Prediction: Real Sociedad 0-1 Real Madrid
