#五大联赛赛前预测官 Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad: Mourinho’s Bernabéu debut puts on a show of strength, while Mbappé’s attacking trio vows to break the Copa del Rey dark horse!

At 3:00 a.m. Beijing Time on August 27, the rescheduled La Liga opener kicks off at the Bernabéu, with Real Madrid hosting Real Sociedad.
This is Mourinho’s first official home match since returning to Real Madrid, as well as the curtain-raiser for the new season’s Galácticos.
In the previous second-round match, Real Madrid narrowly defeated Espanyol 2-1 away, with new signing Espe saving the day in the final moments and exposing the team’s lack of cohesion. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, have recently suffered four consecutive defeats, and new manager Matarazzo’s tactical system remains in a painful adjustment period. Both teams enter this delayed clash with concerns, and the match will directly shape the trajectory of their respective season starts.
Real Madrid splashed out more than €225 million this summer, with Mbappé, Vinícius, and Diomandé forming a luxurious attacking trio, while the midfield combination of B席, Bellingham, and Tchouaméni can be described as top-class. The concerns are concentrated in defense—Militão, Mendy, Rodrygo, and several other key players are injured. Mourinho revealed before the match that Cucurella could replace Carreras at left-back, leaving the defensive rotation stretched and exposing frequent errors in covering. Fortunately, Real Madrid hold a dominant historical record in this matchup, with 7 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last 10 meetings. They also defeated Real Sociedad home and away last season, including a 4-1 home thrashing, giving them a clear psychological edge. Mourinho’s 4-3-3 pressing system relies on wing breakthroughs and runs into the half-spaces, but whether the depleted defense can withstand high-speed counterattacks is the biggest unknown in this match.
As last season’s Copa del Rey champions, Real Sociedad should not be underestimated, but they made almost no signings this summer and their squad has aged significantly. Since taking charge, new manager Matarazzo has managed only 2 wins in 7 warm-up matches, with glaring flaws at both ends of the pitch. More worryingly, the team have failed to win their season opener in recent years and remain trapped by a slow-start curse. Odriozola, Guedes, and Soler are confirmed absentees for this match, while Kubo Takefusa’s fitness is uncertain. The team are expected to retreat proactively into a 4-2-3-1 counterattacking setup, relying on the wing speed of Kubo Takefusa and Barrenetxea to exploit the space behind Real Madrid.
The two teams produced a crazy 4-4 scoreline in last season’s Copa del Rey, proving that Real Sociedad are fully capable of breaking through Real Madrid’s defense.

The following three tactical battles will directly decide the result:
First, can Real Madrid’s depleted defense withstand the dual-wing threat of Kubo Takefusa and Barrenetxea? The space in the half-spaces is the biggest high-risk vulnerability;
Second, against Real Sociedad’s deep defensive block, Bellingham and B席’s runs into the half-spaces and Mbappé’s finishing ability will be key to breaking down the defense, but prolonged frustration in attack could easily lead to a counterattack and a turnover;
Third, the depth of the benches could determine the winner, with Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Espe and Real Sociedad’s Oyarzabal all capable of becoming second-half game-changers.

Overall, Real Madrid possess home-field advantage and a dominant attacking and midfield setup, but their defensive vulnerabilities make a clean sheet unlikely. The predicted score is a narrow 3-1 or 2-0 win for Real Madrid, with the defense’s ability to withstand pressure determining whether Mourinho can secure a perfect start.