Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Prediction: Back Madrid to win low-scoring affair

Real Madrid take their 100% record on the road as they travel to the Reale Arena to take on Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon. This game is in the blackout window and therefore is not available on Live TV in the UK. Kick-off is set for 15:15.

Our La Liga Betting Expert previews this one and gives us his top two bets for the match. You can check out his Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Predictions below...

It's a homecoming for Xabi Alonso on Saturday afternoon, as the Real Madrid boss returns to San Sebastián to take on Real Sociedad. 

Alonso not only played for his boyhood club in the early 2000s, but coached their B team between 2019 and 2022, as his managerial journey began. When he vacated that role to take charge of Bayer Leverkusen, he was replaced by Sergio Francisco, who was promoted to be La Real's first-team boss this summer. 

Both men have enjoyed fairly rapid rises to take charge of La Liga clubs, but it's certainly Alonso who has settled quicker into his new role.  

Having guided Los Blancos to the semi-finals at the Club World Cup in the summer, the 43-year-old will be happy that his side has avoided any sense of a hangover from that competition. They've won three out of three in La Liga so far, and top the early standings as a result, with a two-point advantage on defending champions Barcelona. 

While they've benefitted from a favourable schedule to date, there have been a number of encouraging signs, which suggest Real Madrid are heading in the right direction again. 

Kylian Mbappé has looked really sharp up front, while he combined well with Vinícius Júnior in their last away game, a 3-0 victory at Real Oviedo. That partnership really needs to click into gear if Los Blancos are going to have the kind of season that their demanding fanbase expects. 

There has also been a clear push to find a midfield place for Arda Güler. The Turkish international impressed a fortnight ago, scoring once and having another goal ruled out in his team's 2-1 victory over Mallorca. However, it remains unclear exactly how the central pieces will fit together when Jude Bellingham returns to full fitness in a few weeks. 

Defensively, they've also made positive strides, with Dean Huijsen the pick of the new signings so far. The 20-year-old has slotted nicely into a back four that has only conceded one goal in three La Liga outings to date. 

There are certainly more problems for the man in the Real Sociedad dugout. Sergio Francisco is winless after three games in the hotseat at the Reale Arena, and doesn't look to have found any solutions to the issues that saw the Basque side stutter to a disappointing 11th-place finish last term. 

That was enough to convince the club not to continue with long-serving Imanol Alguacil. However, initially at least, they didn't really back their new man in the transfer market, despite selling key man Martín Zubimendi to Arsenal for €65m earlier in the summer. 

With largely the same team as last season, La Real started with draws against Valencia and Espanyol, before suffering a shock 1-0 defeat against newly promoted Real Oviedo last time out. 

That result may have contributed to their decision to spend €17m on midfielders on deadline day, as Carlos Soler arrived from PSG, while Yangel Herrera joined from Girona. 

Team News: 

Soler is available to make his debut in this game, although he'll be lacking match sharpness having waited so long to get his move from the European champions, where he was way down the pecking order. The ex-Valencia man may feature off the bench as a result, whereas Herrera arrived with an injury and won't be involved. 

Forward Orri Steinn Óskarsson is the other notable absentee for the hosts. It's likely he'll be replaced by an extra midfielder, with Brais Méndez potentially coming into the side. Recent signing Gonçalo Guedes is also pushing for inclusion on the right flank. 

As for Real Madrid, Alonso has already displayed a willingness to chop and change his team. There's uncertainty over who the starters will be on the right side of the pitch, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal competing for one place at full-back, while there are several options for the right-wing role. 

The visitors are still missing Bellingham, Endrick and Ferland Mendy to injuries. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga is rated doubtful. 

Match Odds: 

Real Sociedad are priced at 9/2 to claim their first victory of the season in this game. You can back the Draw at 16/5, but Real Madrid are the clear favourites at 8/13 to claim the points and continue their 100% start. 

The visitors are also priced at 8/5 to win the game to nil, while they are available at 11/8 to score in both halves. Los Blancos are on offer at 2/1 to score over 2.5 goals in the game. 

Alternatively, you can back Real Sociedad or Draw at 11/8 in the Double Chance market. The hosts are also priced at 15/8 to win either half. 

Last season's Pichichi winner leads the way in the Goalscorer markets. You can back Mbappé to score first at 5/2, while he's priced at 4/5 to score anytime, having netted three in three so far this term. 

Vinícius is priced at 6/4 to get on the scoresheet, while Mikel Oyarzabal is likely to be the main goal threat for the hosts. He started both matches for Spain during their successful international break, and the 28-year-old is available at 9/1 to score first, and 3/1 to score anytime on Saturday. 

You can bet on this match via our Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Odds page on the main betfred.com website with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Bet 1 - Real Madrid to win & Under 3.5 goals @ 5/4 

This is not a convincing Real Sociedad side by any means, so this fixture may not be as tricky as it initially appears from a visiting point of view.  

Recent history does point towards a tight game, though. None of the last six meetings between the clubs in San Sebastián have served up more than two goals, and with Real Madrid looking quite solid defensively so far, they'll fancy their chances of shutting out the home attack. 

While Oyarzabal has done a good job for Spain, he's surrounded by much less quality in a club setting. With Real Sociedad's deadline-day business unlikely to have any real impact on this game, I can only see one result, and I'm backing Real Madrid to win and Under 3.5 goals at 5/4. 

Bet 2 - Vinícius Júnior 1+ shots on target & Vinícius Júnior 1+ assists @ 7/2 

While most of the players who will be involved in this game have just returned from busy international breaks, Vinícius Júnior has had the luxury of a fortnight's rest. That's because none of the Brazilian players in this Real Madrid squad were called up by Seleção boss Carlo Ancelotti, who knows better than most what a busy 2024/25 season they had. 

The winger should be fresh and hungry to perform here as a result, and his response to being dropped at Oviedo three weeks ago has been a very positive one. The 25-year-old came off the bench to score and assist in that fixture, while he supplied another cool finish to score against Mallorca last time out. 

Following a decent break, there's a good chance he'll complete the full 90 minutes in the Basque Country, and I can see him putting in another big performance. Therefore, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Vinícius Júnior 1+ shots on target and Vinícius Júnior 1+ assists at 7/2. 

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