Real Madrid aim for winning start against Real Sociedad as Mourinho faces defensive test

Real Madrid will look to make it two La Liga wins from two when they host Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening, but Jose Mourinho’s side are also trying to end a worrying run of eight consecutive league matches without keeping a clean sheet.

The fixture is the rearranged game from the opening round of the 2026-27 La Liga season. Real Madrid began their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Espanyol on Saturday, securing the points with a late goal in Mourinho’s first competitive league match since returning as the club’s manager.

Real Sociedad, meanwhile, arrive in the capital after losing 1-0 at home to Real Betis on the opening weekend. A second successive defeat would see the San Sebastian club begin a season with two losses in their first two matches for the first time since 2001-02, when they were managed by John Benjamin Toshack.

Opta’s statistics underline Real Madrid’s strong recent record in this fixture. They have won their past six La Liga meetings with Real Sociedad, their best winning sequence against the Basque side since February 2018, when they recorded seven consecutive victories.

Real Sociedad had previously lost on each of their nine league visits to the Santiago Bernabeu. They have improved that record in more recent years, taking points in three of their last eight away league games against Real Madrid. Those results include one win and two draws, alongside five defeats.

Mourinho has also avoided defeat in all six of his La Liga matches against Real Sociedad, recording five wins and one draw. The only opponent against whom he has gone unbeaten in more league matches is Espanyol, against whom he has six wins and two draws in seven games. He has also remained unbeaten in six matches against each of four other teams.

However, Real Madrid’s defensive figures provide a concern. Under Mourinho, they have conceded at least once in each of their last eight La Liga matches, allowing 14 goals in total. It is the Portuguese manager’s longest run with the club without a league clean sheet.

Victory over Espanyol means Real Madrid can win their opening two league matches for the fourth time in the past five seasons. They achieved that in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2025-26, with the only exception coming in 2024-25.

Real Sociedad are seeking to halt a much longer winless sequence. They have not won any of their last nine league matches, drawing five and losing four. That is their longest run without a victory in the competition since an 18-match sequence between April and December 2006, when they registered eight draws and 10 defeats.

Kylian Mbappe has a particularly strong record against Real Sociedad. The Real Madrid forward has scored four goals in three La Liga appearances against them. He has scored more goals against only Villarreal, five, while also having four against Barcelona.

For Real Sociedad, Mikel Oyarzabal has scored three times in 19 league matches against Real Madrid, but every one of those goals has come from the penalty spot. Real Madrid are therefore the opponent he has faced most often in La Liga without scoring from open play.

The result will determine whether Real Madrid maintain their early momentum and whether Real Sociedad can prevent their difficult start from becoming a historic one.

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