Match Preview: Real Madrid and Barcelona Host Favorable Opponents, Chelsea Continue League Cup Campaign

Welcome to the second edition of the 2026-27 season Match Watch. This article covers major football events around the world from August 27 to August 28 Beijing time:

August 27, 03:00 La Liga Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad

The match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad was originally scheduled for the opening round, but because Spain played in the World Cup final, the fixture was postponed to a midweek date between the second and third rounds of La Liga. In their last 15 meetings, Real Madrid have lost only twice against Real Sociedad, and in their last eight encounters, Los Blancos have recorded a dominant record of seven wins and one defeat. Last season, Real Madrid completed a double over Real Sociedad and scored six goals. Last weekend, both teams played their second La Liga matches of the season, with Real Madrid narrowly beating Espanyol 2-1 away, while Real Sociedad lost 0-1 away to Real Betis and have suffered five consecutive defeats including friendly matches. For Real Madrid, especially playing at the Bernabeu, this is a good opportunity to pursue consecutive victories.

For this match, Real Madrid stars Rodrygo, Tchouameni and Raul Asencio will continue to miss out due to injuries. In attack, 21-year-old prospect Caspi impressed in the previous league match, scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute after coming on as a substitute, and he could receive more opportunities against Real Sociedad. However, Mbappe and Vinicius are still likely to remain the team's main forwards. As for Diomande, whose transfer fee reached 125 million euros, he still needs more time to adapt to his new environment. Real Sociedad did not make signings this summer, and an away trip to the Bernabeu could prove difficult.

August 28, 03:00 La Liga Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao

In their last 19 meetings, Barcelona have achieved an impressive unbeaten record of 14 wins and 5 draws, including victories in their last six encounters. It should be noted that Barcelona have kept clean sheets in their last five matches against Athletic Bilbao while scoring 15 goals. Barcelona's last home defeat to Athletic Bilbao dates back to 2001. In the following 25 years, Barcelona have recorded 25 wins and 5 draws in 30 home matches against them.

Last weekend, both teams played a La Liga match. Barcelona displayed explosive attacking form, defeating Elche 5-0 away. Both of their new attacking signings performed well, with Gordon providing two assists and Adeyemi scoring his first goal, although Raphinha was the standout performer with two goals and one assist. The team's star Yamal is still searching for his post-World Cup rhythm. Athletic Bilbao are in poor form, losing 1-3 at home to Sevilla, suffering three consecutive defeats and scoring only two goals in their last three matches. Facing an out-of-form Athletic Bilbao at home, Barcelona could continue their attacking display, with Gordon, Raphinha and Yamal expected to remain key players. De Jong will continue to be sidelined through injury. For Athletic Bilbao, Nico Williams and Inaki Williams need to quickly regain form; if they can perform normally, they could cause Barcelona considerable problems.

August 28, 02:30 League Cup Chelsea vs Luton

Because Chelsea do not have European competition this season, they will enter the League Cup from the second round, with League One side Luton as their opponent. This is a significant mismatch in strength, as Chelsea have won all of their last four matches against Luton. Due to Premier League television scheduling, Chelsea's opening Premier League match this season was arranged for Monday local time, meaning the team will play three matches this week, including two Premier League games and one League Cup match, which will be a test for the Blues. Earlier, Chelsea narrowly defeated Fulham 3-2 in the West London derby, showing strong attacking ability. New signing Rogers performed well and scored his first goal for the club. In addition, Pedro and Palmer also scored in the match, but they may not feature in this game. Even if they are included in the squad, they are unlikely to start, and manager Alonso may field some young players.

(Original article by Sohu Sports, Gerard)