Real Madrid v Real Sociedad: La Liga predictions, best bets and odds

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Real Madrid secured victory in their first league match, although they struggled more than expected on their visit to Espanyol.

Los Blancos were clear favourites before the match and showed it with a strong opening half hour, during which Jude Bellingham put his team ahead.

However, Álex Calatrava's goal in the 30th minute took the wind out of Mourinho's side, who had to wait until the 90th minute for Carlos Espí's last-gasp winner. 

Real Madrid's attacking issues were best illustrated by Kylian Mbappé, who missed chances he would usually convert. On Wednesday night, the home fans inside the Bernabéu will be expecting their team to improve on last weekend's subpar performance in Catalonia.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid's returning Portuguese Head Coach is still searching for his best eleven, with some questioning whether Bellingham, Güler and Diomande should feature in the same starting line-up.

Real Sociedad had less success in their opening fixture of the new LaLiga season. The Basque outfit lost 1-0 away to Betis, although Pellegrino Matarazzo will take plenty of positives from a match that could easily have swung the other way.

Five minutes after Rodrigo Riquelme's 63rd-minute opener, Luka Sucic hit the post at the end of yet another sweeping attacking move from the visitors, who enjoyed more possession than Betis but just lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. 

Sociedad know that the Bernabéu is not the easiest place to take maximum points, but the fans are eager to see at least a better version of the team that looked short of confidence during pre-season.

The 'txuri-urdin' lost to Pau, Toulouse, Köln (twice) and Chelsea over the summer, although wins over West Midlands duo Wolves and Aston Villa provided some light relief.

This Wednesday, Matarazzo's men will be looking to break the curse that has seen them fail to beat Real Madrid in the Spanish capital since February 2020, when they emerged triumphant in a seven-goal thriller. 

Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (20:00 BST) – Predictions

Kylian Mbappé to score: 8/15 (bet365)

Federico Valverde to have 1+ Shot on Target: 8/11 (bet365)

Real Madrid to win and Both Teams to Score (BTTS): 13/8 (bet365)

Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.

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All eyes on Mbappé

Jude Bellingham and Carlos Espí found the net for Real Madrid against Espanyol, rather than prolific goalscorer Kylian Mbappé. Real Madrid fans have grown accustomed to the Frenchman scoring almost every time he steps onto the pitch, so even a two-game goal drought is unlikely.

And you can't say he didn't do everything in his power to score at the RCDE Stadium, where he registered three shots on target from ten attempts overall. It's rare for the Frenchman to go home without a goal after recording those types of numbers.

That's why we see it as more than likely that Mbappé will celebrate his first goal of the season on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu.

He ended last season with 42 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions, a figure that clearly shows his remarkable ability to beat goalkeepers.

But he didn't just prove it with Madrid. At the World Cup, the striker scored 10 goals across France's eight matches, a tally that earned him the Golden Boot and made him the all-time top scorer in World Cup history.

Kylian Mbappé to score: 8/15 (bet365)

Explanation: This bet will land if Kylian Mbappé scores at any time during the match. 

Valverde's weapon

The 36-time LaLiga champions are still some way off finding their best form. They still need a player capable of controlling the midfield, who can finally make Real Madrid fans no longer yearn for the passing skills of Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić.

While José Mourinho fine-tunes his machine, Federico Valverde could be the best-placed player to unlock the opposition's defence. 

The Uruguayan also boasts a powerful strike, as evidenced by some of his recent long-range efforts at goal. He also has a great engine, which enables him to consistently manoeuvre his way into dangerous shooting positions. For these reasons, we expect him to have at least one shot on target in this match.

He didn't manage to have a shot on target against Espanyol, but did fire just wide. Furthermore, the Uruguayan international was consistently accurate during the World Cup (for example, he had two shots on target against Saudi Arabia) and in the final stretch of last season.

Valverde had two shots on target against Girona and Betis in April, before hitting the target once in clashes with Espanyol and Athletic Club. Across Real Madrid's final six league matches of the 2025/26 campaign, the only time Valverde failed to have a shot on target was against Alavés.

Federico Valverde to have 1+ Shot on Target: 8/11 (bet365)

Explanation: This bet will land if Federico Valverde has at least one shot on target during the match. 

Flair rather than solidity

Real Madrid remain a team that promise more in attack than in defence. This was evident against Espanyol, a match in which they ultimately won but also conceded. And that's exactly what we think could happen again against Real Sociedad, a side who, on paper at least, have even more attacking weapons than the 'Pericos'.

Los Blancos also conceded goals in pre-season against Leganés, Fiorentina and Ferencvaros. Furthermore, Real Madrid conceded at least one goal in 15 of their final 20 matches of last season.

It therefore seems likely that the hosts will take all three points but still concede at least once. Although the Basques failed to score in their opener against Betis, they did find the net in 10 of their previous 11 matches across pre-season and the end of last season.

It's also worth remembering that Madrid overcame Wednesday's opponents in both of their league encounters last season, but conceded on each occasion. 

Real Madrid to win and Both Teams to Score (BTTS): 13/8 (bet365)

Explanation: This bet lands if Real Madrid win the match, but Real Sociedad still manage to score at least one goal. 

Real Madrid v Real Sociedad – Match Result odds

Real Madrid: 4/11 (bet365)

Draw: 9/2 (bet365)

Real Sociedad: 6/1 (bet365) 

The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.