Real Madrid will be looking to maintain their 100% record this season as they welcome Real Sociedad to the Santiago Bernabeu for a La Liga fixture on Sunday. Los Blancos appear head and shoulders above everyone else at the moment and while Sociedad have the quality to make things difficult, a home win is expected here.
Real Madrid are enjoying a fine start to the season and are currently setting the early pace, sitting two points clear at the top of the table. They are the only team with a 100% record and look determined to reclaim the title following last season’s disappointment.
Los Blancos came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Getafe in their previous La Liga fixture. Jude Bellingham was heavily involved once again, netting a dramatic late winner after Joselu had struck the equalizer just after the restart.
The win over Getafe extends a superb record at the Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid, who have lost just once in their last 24 home matches, a run stretching back to April 2022. However a slight problem for Carlo Ancelotti’s men is that they are often unconvincing at the back, keeping just one clean sheet in the last five matches in front of their fans.
Real Sociedad travel to Madrid off the back of a 5-3 victory over Granada in their previous La Liga fixture. Takefusa Kubo continued his fine start to the season with a brace while Martin Zubimendi and Ander Barrenextea were also on target.
That was the first win of the season for Real Sociedad, who had begun their campaign with three straight draws. The major problem appears to be a lack of discipline at the back having kept just one clean sheet this season while also throwing away the lead in their opening two matches.
Another problem for Real Sociedad is a poor record on their travels as they have claimed just two wins in their last nine away matches in La Liga stretching back to last season. They have been beaten four times in that run but played out a 0-0 draw with Las Palmas in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 13/20 by bet365. A victory for Real Sociedad is valued at 9/2 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 with Betfred.
Head to head
Real Madrid have a 31-13 advantage with 12 draws from 56 previous matches against Real Sociedad. However, they failed to pick up a win in this fixture last season, playing out a 0-0 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu before Sociedad claimed a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch
There appears to be no end in sight to Jude Bellingham’s exceptional start to the season having scored five goals in four appearances for Real Madrid. The midfielder will be the one to watch on Sunday and is priced at 11/5 by Paddy Power to score anytime.
Real Sociedad can also hold their own going forward with Takefusa Kubo looking particularly impressive so far. The former Real Madrid attacker has four goals this season and could be worth keeping an eye on at 7/1 with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Madrid and Real Sociedad have not looked particularly convincing at the back and given the attacking quality on display, both teams could be backed to score at 10/11 with bet365. Sociedad saw over 3.5 goals in their previous fixture and a repeat is priced at 23/10 with Unibet while bet365 is offering 10/11 on both teams to score.
With Real Madrid unlikely to keep a clean sheet, there could be more value in a home win and over 2.5 goals at 8/5 with bet365.
This Serie A match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad will be played on Sep 17, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
In December 2020 we sadly 
