If you’re a Real Madrid supporter, you can’t argue against how the team has started this season. They head out of the international break and into a La Liga fixture at Real Sociedad having taking all nine points from the nine points possible thus far in the 2025-26 season. Xabi Alonso, at least very early on, seems like a great fit in this extremely high profile role.
La Liga Regular Season Fixture FYIs
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 13, 3:15pm, Reale Arena
Real Madrid Preview Material: Starting Lineup Prediction Team News Full Injury Report
Result Probability: Real Madrid win 60%, Draw 22% Real Sociedad win 18%
LL Position, Form: Real Madrid 1st, 9 pts, WWW Real Sociedad 16th, 2 pts, DDL
In terms of trying to predict the starting lineup, well, there are a few different ways you can go with that. Madrid do have some keys out right now, but their squad is so very deep and talented. In all three position groups, Xabi has plenty of choices to make here.
Real Madrid Starting Lineup Prediction at Real Sociedad
Thibaut Courtois; Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Dani Ceballos, Aurelien Tchouameni; Arda Guler, Brahim Diaz, Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter