The Special One's First Official Bernabéu Appearance Since Return

Real Madrid is set to face Real Sociedad in a rescheduled match from the first round of Spain's La Liga at their iconic Santiago Bernabéu stadium. The game is scheduled for today, August 26th (Wednesday), with kickoff at 10:00 PM Bulgarian time. The capital club enters the clash following a 2-1 victory over Espanyol in their season opener, a match that officially marked José Mourinho's return. The Basque side, meanwhile, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis.

During their summer pre-season and initial official fixtures, the Madridistas recorded four consecutive wins – against Espanyol (2-1), Schalke 04 (3-0), Deportivo La Coruña (1-0), and Ferencváros (2-1), alongside a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina. The visitors from San Sebastián were somewhat more inconsistent during the break, registering only two victories, one draw, and four losses.

The history of recent encounters heavily favors Real Madrid. In the last official match between the two teams in February 2026, the Madrid side secured a 4-1 home win. Overall, in their La Liga and Copa del Rey clashes, Real Madrid boasts 104 victories from 185 matches, while Real Sociedad has managed to win 38 times.

For the home side, Raúl Asensio, Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy, and Thiago Pitarc are sidelined with injuries, while Aurélien Tchouaméni and Endrick are doubtful. Despite these personnel issues, José Mourinho is expected to field a strong starting XI with Thibaut Courtois in goal, protected by a defensive line of Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konaté, Dean Huijsen, and Álvaro Carreras. The midfield and attack are anticipated to feature Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Arda Güler, Bernardo Silva, Vinicius Júnior, and Kylian Mbappé.

The visitors from San Sebastián will be without injured defender Álvaro Odriozola. Matarazzo's team is likely to start with Alex Remiro in goal, a defensive line comprising Jon Aramburu, Igor Zubeldia, Sergio Gómez, and Jon Martín Vicente, a midfield of Carlos Soler, Yangel Herrera, and Luka Sučić, and an attacking trio of Takefusa Kubo, Ander Barrenetxea, and Ori Oscarsson.