Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad

When Real Madrid hosts Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon in La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti's second and most likely last stint as head coach will come to an end.

Real Madrid will place second in La Liga this season, but Real Sociedad will not have access to any European football in 2025–2026 after an extremely dismal campaign that has left them in 11th place.

Real Madrid kicked off their 2024-25 campaign by hoisting the UEFA Super Cup in August, but that early triumph turned out to be their lone highlight in an otherwise underwhelming season. The Spanish giants fell short across every major competition—La Liga, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, and even the Spanish Super Cup—leaving fans craving the dominance they’ve come to expect.

While Barcelona edged them out for the La Liga title by a slim four-point margin, even the Catalans didn’t exactly steamroll the competition. Madrid’s struggles to replicate last season’s heroics—a dazzling double of La Liga and Champions League glory in 2023-24—left many questioning their consistency.

The season’s end also marks a changing of the guard. Carlo Ancelotti’s second (and likely final) stint as manager wraps up this weekend, paving the way for Xabi Alonso’s anticipated arrival. Alonso will take the reins ahead of June’s Club World Cup, where Madrid’s campaign kicks off against Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal.

There’s still one last chance for fans to savor a victory, though. Fresh off wins against Mallorca and Sevilla, Madrid will aim to close their domestic season on a high note this Saturday. The match holds extra weight for Luka Modric, who’ll bid farewell to the Bernabéu in his final home appearance after the club confirmed his departure this week.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad’s season tells a story of unmet expectations. The Basque side, usually a steady presence in La Liga’s upper half, slumped to 11th place—their worst finish in nearly a decade. With just 13 wins and a staggering 17 losses in 37 games, they’ve been a shadow of their usual selves.

A summer overhaul looms: Manager Imanol Alguacil is stepping down, and key players like Martin Zubimendi are set to exit. Their recent 3-2 win over Girona snapped a dismal two-month winless streak, but their away form (nine losses in 18 games) tells its own tale.

History doesn’t favor La Real either. They’ve lost their last three league clashes with Madrid, including a 2-0 defeat earlier this season and a 2-1 heartbreaker at the Bernabéu last year. Saturday’s finale feels less like a battle and more like a formality for a club already eyeing next season’s reset.