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Having closed the gap to league leaders Barcelona to just one point, Real Madrid will hope to leapfrog their fierce rivals this weekend. The reigning champions don’t play until Monday night, when they face a potentially tricky trip to Catalan neighbours Girona.
Los Blancos have won each of their last seven La Liga fixtures, netting seventeen times and conceding just three goals in the process.
Four of these triumphs were overseen by recently appointed manager Álvaro Arbeloa, who has recovered well following a disastrous start to his tenure.
Since that embarrassing 3-2 defeat to second-tier outfit Albacete in the Copa del Rey, Arbeloa has only lost once – last month’s dramatic Champions League encounter with Benfica – and therefore managed to steady the ship in the wake of Xabi Alonso’s abrupt departure.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad emerged from the winter break as a totally different team. After losing three of their four matches leading up to Christmas, they have acquired an impressive 14 points from six outings since.
This extraordinary turnaround has enabled Sociedad to catapult themselves from just outside the relegation zone to within touching distance of the European places.
Standout results include a hard-fought draw with Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano and last month’s 2-1 victory over Barça on home soil, while La Real have also managed to navigate their way to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
That all sets us up nicely for Saturday’s contest at the Bernabéu, which will be shown exclusively live on the Disney+ platform.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad – Key information
Date: Saturday, 14th February
Kick-off time: 20:00 (GMT)
Venue: Bernabéu, Madrid
Referee: TBC
VAR: TBC
TV Channels/Live stream: Disney+
Odds: Real Madrid: 4/11, Draw: 4/1, Real Sociedad: 13/2
Odds provided by bet365
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad team news
Both managers must deal with several injury headaches, although Pellegrino Matarazzo’s squad is arguably the most impacted. Sociedad are without several of their key attacking players, so they may look to contain the hosts rather than play on the front foot.
Arbeloa is expected to adopt his familiar 4-3-3 formation, but could change several personnel following last weekend’s 2-0 win at Valencia.
Real Madrid team news
Having missed the opening stages of the season due to receiving surgery on his shoulder in late summer, Jude Bellingham is now sidelined with a hamstring strain.
The English midfielder was visibly upset as he left the field just ten minutes into Real’s meeting with Rayo Vallecano a couple of weekends ago, but could return in time for the visit of Atlético Madrid next month.
Centre-backs Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger are recovering from their respective issues, although the latter is close to full fitness.
Rüdiger featured as an unused substitute at the Mestalla, while Militão could be out for a further few weeks after rupturing his tendon during December’s 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo.
Fellow defender Ferland Mendy is out yet again with a muscle problem, as his injury-ravaged period continues.
The Frenchman has only made two appearances since the beginning of the campaign, although he does appear on the cusp of returning to first-team action.
Vinícius Júnior has now served his one-match ban after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Vallecano, but Brazilian compatriot Rodrygo remains unavailable. Kylian Mbappé will hope to preserve his remarkable goalscoring purple patch, having netted in each of his last nine starts across all competitions.
The former PSG frontman is the division’s current top scorer by some distance, with an eye-watering 23 goals in his 22 league appearances.
Real Madrid predicted line-up v Real Sociedad (4-3-3)
Coach: Álvaro Arbeloa
Thibaut Courtois (GK); Federico Valverde, Raúl Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras; Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga; Franco Mastantuono, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior
Real Sociedad team news
Short of options at the top end of the pitch, Matarazzo may have to be a little creative with his team selection.
The absence of Luka Sučić is a particularly major blow. Within five minutes of breaking the deadlock in last Saturday’s 3-1 victory over struggling Elche, the Croatian was substituted due to injuring an adductor muscle.
Meanwhile, Brais Méndez is still suspended after being sent off in the first of this month’s two Basque derbies.
The Spanish attacker was adjudged to have struck Bilbao’s Aitor Paredes, resulting in a two-match ban despite Sociedad’s protestations.
Takefusa Kubo was stretchered off against Barcelona, robbing Sociedad of a key attacking threat from the right-hand side. It’s a similar story on the opposite flank, as former Spanish Under-21 international Ander Barrenetxea is still struggling with a thigh problem.
That will likely result in Gonçalo Guedes – who has registered four direct goal involvements in his last four appearances – operating out wide. Russian playmaker Arsen Zakharyan is currently nursing a calf strain, but should be back before the end of the month.
In other injury news, reserve goalkeeper Unai Marrero recently fractured his cheekbone during a routine training session. Consequently, 22-year-old Aitor Fraga has taken Marrero’s position on the bench to provide cover for first-choice stopper Álex Remiro.
La Real’s lack of attacking numbers could result in a rare start for Orri Óskarsson, who has struggled for form and fitness in recent months.
However, the young Icelandic forward has delivered some positive cameos from the bench in the last few weeks, including a vital goalscoring contribution in Wednesday’s dramatic Copa del Rey clash with local rivals Alavés.
Real Sociedad predicted line-up v Real Madrid (4-4-2)
Coach: Pellegrino Matarazzo
Álex Remiro (GK); Jon Aramburu, Igor Zubeldia, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Sergio Gómez; Gonçalo Guedes, Jon Gorrotxategi, Carlos Soler, Pablo Marín; Orri Óskarsson, Mikel Oyarzabal
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, Disney+ brokered a lucrative broadcasting contract with LaLiga. Under the terms of their three-year agreement, the streaming giant is able to provide live coverage of the league’s Saturday night fixture each week. With an 8pm kick-off scheduled at the Bernabéu, this means Real Madrid’s meeting with Real Sociedad will be exclusively screened on the Disney+ platform.
It’s worth noting that a considerable quantity of Spanish top-flight matches are available to watch on Premier Sports, while Amazon Prime customers can also tune into this action upon purchasing a bolt-on LaLiga TV subscription.
Head-to-Head record
This season’s first meeting between these two teams saw Real Madrid record a narrow 2-1 victory in San Sebastián, as La Liga returned following the early international break.
Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring early on at the Reale Arena, before turning provider as Arda Güler prodded home on the stroke of half-time.
Mikel Oyarzabal converted a spot-kick not long after the interval following Dani Carvajal’s handball offence, but the hosts - who were up against ten men for the best part of an hour thanks to Dean Huijsen's first-half dismissal - were unable to find an equaliser in the remaining period.
Sociedad have lost six of their most recent seven matches against Real Madrid, although the only time they avoided defeat in this sequence resulted in them exiting last season’s Copa del Rey at the semi-final stage following an absorbing 120-minute contest.
The Basque outfit’s last victory at the Bernabéu ironically came in the same competition almost exactly six years ago, thanks to a thrilling 4-3 win.
A goal from Martin Ødegaard against his parent club preceded Alexander Isak’s quick-fire brace, but Marcelo reduced the deficit moments later.
Another current Premier League player then found the net as Mikel Merino claimed Sociedad’s fourth, before late consolations from Rodrygo and Nacho completed the scoring.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad – Match Result odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.