Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: Mourinho Returns to Bernabeu

The Bernabeu lights go on again. The noise will follow.

On Wednesday night in Madrid, Real Madrid and Real Sociedad collide in La Liga, a meeting of last season’s cup winners and a giant desperate to end an uncomfortable drought. Kick-off is at 9pm local time (19:00 GMT), with Al Jazeera Sport on air from 16:00 GMT for buildup and live text.

This is not just another early-season fixture. It’s Jose Mourinho’s first home game back in charge of Real, 13 years after he walked away. It’s also a test of whether Sociedad’s Copa del Rey triumph was a springboard or a one-off.

Real’s new era, same pressure

Real Madrid arrive with three seasons without a trophy hanging over them. For a club of this size, that’s an eternity. Not since 2006 have they gone this long without silverware, and the demand is simple: stop Barcelona’s La Liga streak and restore order.

Mourinho’s second spell began in familiar fashion – drama, late goals, and questions. Away at Espanyol on Saturday, Real needed a 90th-minute strike from substitute Carlos Espi to steal a 2-1 win. Jude Bellingham had opened the scoring, Alex Calatrava dragged Espanyol level, and Real laboured until Espi reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box.

“I think that we deserved to win but that Espanyol didn’t deserve to lose,” Mourinho said afterwards, acknowledging the hosts’ cohesion after a full summer without World Cup disruption.

The names on his teamsheet underline the expectations. Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham all started. Debuts went to Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate. The star power is absurd; the performance was anything but.

Bellingham, installed as a roaming attacking midfielder, looked sharp. He was heavily involved before heading in Arda Guler’s wickedly delivered free-kick. Mbappe, La Liga’s top scorer in each of his two seasons at the club, found space early on the right but lacked his usual ruthlessness. Vinicius, on the left, spent much of the evening being fouled and frustrated rather than decisive.

The win calmed the nerves. It didn’t answer every question.

Mourinho, Vinicius and the battle for control

One issue has followed Mourinho into this job: how to protect Vinicius Junior without dulling his edge.

Mourinho has spoken openly about wanting to help the Brazilian manage his emotions better, especially after another night of flashpoints with fans and opponents at Espanyol. He draws a line between normal hostility from the stands and something more serious, but insists Vinicius can handle the former more calmly.

“There is on the field and off the field,” Mourinho said. “The reaction to fans and insults, obviously, if they are not racist or homophobic insults, but the typical insults by fans, then I think he can control it better.

“In the game, when it comes to the fouls and the accumulation of frustration that he feels, that’s the responsibility of the referees, or the judges, as I like to call them, in terms of their responsibility to protect the players and the game.”

The relationship between the two has a complicated backstory. Last year, when Mourinho was Benfica coach, he was criticised for questioning Vinicius’ character after the forward accused an opponent of racially abusing him in a Champions League tie. Mourinho argued then that Vinicius provoked players with his celebrations.

“When I was Benfica’s coach, I was only interested about Benfica,” he reflected now.

From his vantage point in Madrid, he sees a pattern in how opponents treat Vinicius. “It’s gone into a spiral in which the opponents know what they can do and what they can’t do,” he said. “If the players can provoke and pressure Vini, either physically or with words, if the yellow card is only shown after 10 fouls, if there can be violence, then it’s a type of treatment that I don’t like.”

Mourinho admits it’s harder to help Vinicius in the heat of play, but says his reactions to opposing fans is “something that we can work on”. Wednesday night at the Bernabeu, with the spotlight fixed firmly on both, will show how far that work has gone.

Sociedad’s tough start and old scars in Madrid

On the other side, Real Sociedad arrive with a mix of belief and bruises.

Their La Liga campaign opened with a narrow 1-0 defeat at Real Betis. Rodrigo Riquelme’s tidy volley from a Cucho Hernandez cross decided a tight game between two well-organised sides. It was the first of two away fixtures to start the season for Sociedad – a harsh schedule for a team that won just three of 19 league matches on the road last year.

They do, however, carry fresh credibility. Sociedad lifted the Copa del Rey last season, beating Atletico Madrid in the final, while Real and Barcelona kept their usual grip on the showpiece at bay for once. In the league, Betis finished fifth, so there was no shame in losing narrowly in Seville.

The Bernabeu, though, has not been kind.

Sociedad have only one win in their last 20 La Liga visits to Real Madrid. They’ve scored 19 times in that stretch, but conceded 54, with Real winning 16 of those games. Their last league victory in this stadium came in January 2019, a 2-0 success sealed by goals from Willian Jose and Ruben Pardo, either side of Lucas Vazquez’s red card.

The more recent memory that still stings Madridistas came in the Copa del Rey in February 2020. Sociedad tore into Real that night, racing into a 3-0 lead thanks to Martin Odegaard and an Alexander Isak brace. Marcelo pulled one back, Mikel Merino restored the cushion, and late goals from Rodrygo and Nacho turned it into a frantic 4-3 finish. Andoni Gorosabel’s dismissal added to the chaos, but Sociedad held on.

Their most recent league win over Real came in May 2023, a 2-0 home victory powered by Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea, with Dani Carvajal sent off to cap a miserable night for Madrid.

The last meeting between the sides, though, tilted heavily back towards the capital. Real won 4-1 in last season’s corresponding La Liga fixture. Vinicius scored twice from the penalty spot, with Gonzalo Garcia and Federico Valverde also on the scoresheet. Mikel Oyarzabal briefly gave Sociedad hope with a 21st-minute penalty, but Real led 3-1 by half-time and never looked back.

Team news: stars, doubts and a familiar face missing

Real Madrid still have a lengthy injury list. Eder Militao (muscle), Rodrygo (knee), Raul Asencio (thigh) and Ferland Mendy (hip) remain out. Endrick (muscle), Thiago Pitarch (knee) and Aurelien Tchouameni (muscle) are doubts and could miss out as well.

Bellingham is expected to feature despite leaving the Espanyol game with an ice pack strapped to his ankle.

Mourinho’s likely XI is stacked with new and old power:

• Courtois;
• Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella;
• Bernardo, Valverde;
• Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius;
• Mbappe.

For Sociedad, there is frustration over one notable absentee. Former Real defender Alvaro Odriozola, back at the club where he started his career, is sidelined with a long-term knee injury and will miss the reunion. Pablo Marin (muscle), Jon Gorrotxategi (muscle) and Goncalo Guedes (muscle) all face late fitness tests.

Mikel Oyarzabal, who began on the bench against Betis, is expected to lead the line this time.

Sociedad’s predicted lineup:

• Remiro;
• Aramburu, Zubeldia, Martin, Gomez;
• Herrera, Soler;
• Kubo, Sucic, Barrenetxea;
• Oyarzabal.

Numbers, history and the weight of expectation

The history between these two clubs is long and lopsided. Across 158 meetings, Real Madrid have 91 wins to Sociedad’s 27.

The Opta supercomputer leans heavily towards the home side again: 66 percent chance of a Real victory, just 15 percent for Sociedad, with the rest left to the draw.

But numbers never fully capture the mood. Real are at the start of a Mourinho reboot, with a superstar front line and a fanbase that will not tolerate another barren year. Sociedad arrive as cup holders, scarred by their away record but emboldened by what they’ve already done on this ground.

The Bernabeu has seen this story before: a heavyweight with everything to lose against a challenger with nothing to fear. This time, with Mourinho back on the touchline and a restless giant behind him, who blinks first?