Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: Mourinho’s home debut, Real Sociedad must clear three hurdles to pull off an upset

Real Madrid will make their first appearance of the new season at the Bernabéu, where Mourinho will finally take his place on the home touchline after returning for a second stint. There is naturally no need to explain the attention surrounding this match, especially after their 2-1 stoppage-time win over Espanyol last time out gave “Mourinho’s return” a promising start.

But if they want to beat Real Sociedad, Real Madrid still need to take this seriously.

The first hurdle is attacking efficiency.

Although Real Madrid created plenty of chances in their last match, they scored only twice and did not complete the winner until the 90th minute. Against a team with a certain level of organization like Real Sociedad, if they continue wasting chances, the match could once again turn into a collective “deep-breathing” session for Real Madrid fans.

The second hurdle is defensive stability.

After taking the lead last time out, Real Madrid failed to kill off the game quickly and instead allowed their opponents to equalize. This shows that the team is still working on its overall chemistry. Mourinho obviously will not like this kind of script. For him, the most important thing after taking the lead is usually not to keep putting on a show, but to firmly keep the match under control and dictate its rhythm.

The third hurdle is Real Sociedad’s counterattacks.

When playing away against Real Madrid, Real Sociedad do not need to look especially attractive. As long as they hold their defensive shape and exploit the space left behind when Real Madrid push forward, they can create danger. Mourinho himself has said that Real Sociedad have a distinctive style and excellent players, so the match will not be easy.

However, considering the teams’ overall strength, the home advantage, and their current morale, I still favor Real Madrid.

In particular, the Bernabéu debut provides extra motivation for both Mourinho and the players. If Real Madrid can score first in the opening half, the match will likely settle into a rhythm they are familiar with.

My prediction: Real Madrid 2-0 Real Sociedad.

If Mbappé can score his first goal of the season at the Bernabéu, it would make the match feel even more like a blockbuster.

Of course, Real Sociedad are not here as tourists either.

Their ideal script would be to hold Real Madrid off and then suddenly land a blow on the home side.

Unfortunately, the problem is—

The Bernabéu is not an ordinary away ground; even the air here knows when to cheer for Real Madrid.

So I expect Real Madrid to make it two home wins in a row, with Mourinho’s return continuing to get off to a strong start.#五大联赛赛前预测官