#五大联赛赛前预测官 Mourinho’s Bernabeu Debut: Real Madrid Aim for Consecutive Wins as Real Sociedad Take the Field with a Depleted Squad

When the clock strikes the early hours of August 27, 2026, the Santiago Bernabéu will host a clash loaded with significance—the rescheduled La Liga opening-round match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad will kick off at this footballing sanctuary. This is not only a belated season opener, but also “The Special One” Mourinho’s first opportunity to unveil his new tactical blueprint in front of 80,000 devoted Madridistas since returning to the Real Madrid dugout.
For the Galácticos, who ended last season without a single major trophy, the only objective this season is to suppress Barcelona and reclaim the La Liga title. This rescheduled match is undoubtedly the perfect stage for Mourinho’s Real Madrid to announce to the outside world that “the king has returned.”
In their away match against Espanyol in the previous round, Mourinho’s team already displayed a mentality vastly different from last season. Real Madrid enjoyed as much as 63% possession, unleashed 21 shots, and kept firm control of the tempo throughout the match. Although substitute youngster E. Espi did not score the winner until the 90th minute, the pressure and control displayed by the team as a whole gave the outside world a glimpse of the new character under Mourinho.
Mourinho’s tactical changes have produced immediate results. The intensity of the high press and counter-pressing immediately after losing possession has clearly increased, while set-piece routines have also been carefully refined. Assistant coach Machado specifically designed a routine in which Güler delivered the cross and Bellingham acted as the finisher in the box; Real Madrid’s opening-round goal came from this tactic. The new arrivals who joined during the offseason have also quickly integrated into the team. Bernardo Silva, Konaté, Dumfries, Cucurella, Diomande and others all featured in their debuts and have earned Mourinho’s trust. Dutch right wing-back Dumfries, in particular, recorded a team-high four successful interceptions in the opening match, while repeatedly pushing forward into the box to assist attacks, showing tremendous impact at both ends of the pitch. Young center-forward E. Espi, who came on as a substitute and scored the winner, displayed astonishing talent. However, Real Madrid are also dealing with considerable injury problems in this match. Tchouaméni, Militão, Mendy, Rodrygo, Raúl Asencio, Endrick and Thiago Pitarch are all confirmed absentees. Tchouaméni’s absence is the most significant, forcing Real Madrid’s midfield to reorganize its defensive coverage and buildup structure, while Bernardo Silva and Camavinga will compete for a starting midfield spot. The good news is that Bellingham has completed his recovery and scored in his opening-round start, showing excellent form. Mourinho is expected to continue using a 4-2-3-1 formation: Courtois in goal; Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen and Cucurella forming the back four, with Cucurella highly likely to make his first official start for Real Madrid; Valverde partnering Bernardo Silva in midfield; and the attacking quartet of Güler, Bellingham, Vinícius and Mbappé starting together.

By comparison, Real Sociedad’s performance in the opening round left their fans rather disappointed. As the dark horses who beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey last season, they looked completely out of sorts against Real Betis—their total shots and shots on target were only half of their opponents’, and they also picked up three yellow cards before ultimately losing 0-1. Real Sociedad’s squad problems are equally serious. Starting midfielder Gorosabel is out injured, which significantly affects the team’s midfield interceptions and organization. Winger Barrenetxea is highly likely to miss out, while right-back Aramburu has also picked up an injury. Although Spain international Oyarzabal has returned to the squad, his fitness has not yet recovered to starting level. Real Sociedad have still not completed a significant signing throughout the offseason, and head coach Matarazzo has even publicly expressed his dissatisfaction to the management over the lack of squad depth. Historically, Real Madrid have enjoyed an almost overwhelming advantage against Real Sociedad. In their last eight meetings, Real Madrid have recorded seven wins and one draw without defeat, including six consecutive league victories. Last season, Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad home and away, including a 4-1 thrashing at the Bernabéu. Mourinho has also remained unbeaten in eight career matches against Real Sociedad, recording six wins and two draws.

Overall, the key suspense in this match is not whether Real Madrid can win, but whether Mourinho’s Real Madrid can produce a convincing rout. Real Madrid have integrated their new signings quickly, benefit from home advantage and hold a dominant historical record, while Real Sociedad have made a poor start, are plagued by injuries and must play away—the two teams could hardly be in more different situations. Although Real Madrid have numerous injuries, their core lineup remains intact, especially with Bellingham in excellent form and Vinícius and Mbappé eager to open their accounts. With Real Sociedad short on personnel, taking points at the Bernabéu will require the entire team to defend tenaciously and capitalize on their limited counterattacking opportunities. But given the poor form and personnel shortages they displayed in the opening round, achieving that objective will be extremely difficult.