Real Madrid made it eight straight wins in La Liga as they wrapped up a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad at the Bernabéu on Saturday night with two penalty goals from Vinícius Júnior alongside strikes from Fede Valverde and Gonzalo García, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring from the penalty spot for the Basque side.
1. Would Kylian Mbappé play?
“He’s fine, he’s trained with the group and is available for tomorrow’s match,” Álvaro Arbeloa insisted on Saturday about his star forward, but it was unsurprising that Kylian Mbappé was not among the starters after not training late this week with a setback to the knee injury which ruled him out for a period after the winter break. This was only the fifth game this season in which Mbappé has not featured, but only the third win, after the victories against Real Betis and Atlético Madrid in January. With a tough Champions League visit to Lisbon to face Benfica on Tuesday, it was logical that the Frenchman would be reserved only for use if truly necessary. His team-mates, notably those who carried the weight in attack with Vinícius Júnior and Gonzalo García stepping up, ensured that his presence was not required.
2. Who would play at right-back?
Álvaro Arbeloa was asked last Saturday whether the returns of Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold could see Fede Valverde return to midfield, but replied coyly, saying, “I have all the players at my disposal and I will use them in the way I think is best to win the match”, adding that, “my aim is to think about which player can give us the best performance against the opposition we are facing, and we have many players who can play in various positions”. What few people saw coming last weekend against Valencia was the choice of David Jiménez. The 21-year-old defender was selected for his fourth first-team appearance and he looked comfortable, but Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Dani Carvajal in having a full week of training. It was the Englishman who got the start, setting up Gonzalo García’s opening strike with a pinpoint cross which looked like it had been taken straight from his Liverpool highlight’s reel. He was replaced by Dani Carvajal on the hour mark for his longest stint on the field since September.
3. Could Real Sociedad prove a tricky customer?
While Real Sociedad did have the disadvantage of a midweek fixture, beating neighbours and rivals Athletic Club 1-0 at San Mamés in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, it did help them to build momentum. Only La Real can rival Real Madrid’s league form in 2026, with new coach Pellegrini Matarazzo leading the team to seven wins and two draws in his first nine games in charge. Add that in to a side who have taken two wins and three draws from their last nine visits to the Bernabéu, and this game was not going to be as easy as an average league fixture against a midtable side. Real Sociedad did cause problems, as their 1.67 xG showed, but Real Madrid outclassed them with the kind of confidence of a side who has won eight in a row in the league.
1. How many penalties have Real Madrid had this season?
With two penalties on the night, Real Madrid took their tally of spot kicks in the league this season to 13. That number is four more than any other side in Europe’s top five league games this season, with Bayern Munich on nine the next highest. At the Bernabéu, Vinícius scored his second and third penalties of the season, having missed another against Valencia in November, after winning both fouls himself. Rival fans will likely point to both decisions, particularly the latter, being soft, but in both cases there was contact, albeit with the Brazilian braced for impact in the second. Without Kylian Mbappé to add to his 11 penalty conversions this season, Vini stepped up and showed the kind of composure that some had questioned whether or not he had.
2. When will Real Madrid record consecutive clean sheets again?
It’s now been 20 games in all competitions without Real Madrid recording consecutive clean sheets, a stretch which extends all the way back to October, when Xabi Alonso’s side beat Juventus and Getafe by 1-0 scorelines just 72 hours apart. Here, it was a clumsy penalty conceded by Dean Huijsen which allowed Mikel Oyarzabal to step up. It was one of only three shots on target, and the only one to truly test Thibaut Courtois, but it left Los Blancos without their clean sheet and enables Atlético Madrid to retain the record of the best defensive stats in La Liga so far this season, as Arbeloa’s side now sit on 19 goals conceded in 24 games, compared to Atleti’s 18.
3. Is Gonzalo García compatible with Kylian Mbappé?
Whenever we see Gonzalo García lead the line, he seems to shine, yet when he plays alongside Kylian Mbappé, it’s often pushed out wide and he has little impact. His tally for goals in all competitions now sits at 10, across eight games, all of which did not see Mbappé start. In fact, in five, including Saturday night’s win, Mbappé did not feature at all. García may be happy to play the Joselu role of the rotation option and a role off the bench, but he may have to accept the role of being a reliable back-up. Right now, that seems to suit all parties, but such roles are rarely sustainable long-term and he may need to adapt to find a way to be just as powerful when operating alongside Mbappé and working together.
