Real Betis vs Real Sociedad Preview

Real Betis face Real Sociedad at Estadio La Cartuja on Friday, 21st August 2026, as both sides open their La Liga campaigns against each other.

Betis arrive off a mixed pre-season. Their most recent outing ended in a 1-0 defeat away at Inter. Prior to that, they drew 2-2 at home with Bournemouth. Before that, they won 3-1 away at Arsenal. Earlier in this run, Betis beat Almeria 1-0 at home, and their sequence began with a 4-0 home win over Lyon. Across these five matches, Betis have won three, drawn one and lost one, with a defeat to Inter their most recent result heading into the new season.

Real Sociedad’s preparations have been considerably tougher. Their most recent outing ended in a 3-1 defeat away at Chelsea. Prior to that, they were beaten 2-1 away at FC Koln. Before that, they lost 2-1 away at Toulouse. Earlier in this run, Real Sociedad won 4-2 away at Aston Villa, and their sequence began with a 2-1 away win at Wolves. Overall, Real Sociedad have won two and lost three across their last five, with three straight defeats their most recent results.

The head-to-head record is evenly poised, with two wins apiece and one draw across the last five meetings. Most recently, the two sides drew 2-2 away at Real Sociedad. In the previous encounter, Betis won 3-1 at home. With honours even historically, this opening fixture offers little in the way of a psychological edge for either side.

Both clubs currently sit without a La Liga match played this season, level on zero points as the new campaign gets underway, with Betis 16th and Real Sociedad 6th purely by alphabetical or default ordering ahead of a ball being kicked. Betis’s home form during pre-season has generally been positive, with wins over Arsenal, Almeria and Lyon, while Real Sociedad’s away form has been the source of most of their troubles, losing three of their last four matches on the road.

Betis’s attacking options, led by Cucho through the middle and supported by Antony and Riquelme, give them plenty of quality to trouble a Real Sociedad side that has conceded regularly of late. Real Sociedad, for their part, will look to Kubo and Barrenetxea to provide the spark needed to end their recent losing run, with Öskarsson leading the line up top.

In Spain, the match is available to stream via Movistar+, LaLiga TV Bar HD and M+ LALIGA TV. In Great Britain and Ireland, viewers can catch the game on Premier Sports 1 and Premier Sports Player. In the United States, the match is available on ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and fuboTV.

Possible Lineups

Real Betis (4-2-3-1) Valles, Bellerín, Bartra, Natan, Fran García, Bernal, Fornals, Antony, Roca, Riquelme, Cucho

Real Sociedad (4-2-3-1) Remiro, Aramburu, Martín, Beitia, Sergio Gómez, Sučić, Soler, Kubo, Herrera, Barrenetxea, Öskarsson

No injury information was included in the provided lineup images for either side ahead of this fixture.

Real Betis Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Inter	1-0	Betis	CF	15.08.26
🤝	Betis	2-2	Bournemouth	CF	08.08.26
✅	Arsenal	1-3	Betis	CF	05.08.26
✅	Betis	1-0	Almeria	CF	01.08.26
✅	Betis	4-0	Lyon	CF	29.07.26

Real Sociedad Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Chelsea	3-1	Real Sociedad	CF	15.08.26
❌	FC Koln	2-1	Real Sociedad	CF	08.08.26
❌	Toulouse	2-1	Real Sociedad	CF	31.07.26
✅	Aston Villa	2-4	Real Sociedad	CF	28.07.26
✅	Wolves	1-2	Real Sociedad	CF	25.07.26

Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Real Sociedad	2-2	Betis	LL	09.05.26
Betis	3-1	Real Sociedad	LL	19.09.25
Betis	3-0	Real Sociedad	LL	16.02.25
Real Sociedad	2-0	Betis	LL	01.12.24
Betis	0-2	Real Sociedad	LL	19.05.24

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Spain	Movistar+, LaLiga TV Bar HD, M+ LALIGA TV
Great Britain	Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player
Ireland Republic	Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player
USA	ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App
Germany	DAZN Germany
Italy	DAZN Italia
France	DAZN France, Disney+ Premium
Portugal	DAZN2 Portugal, DAZN Portugal
Canada	TSN+
Japan	DAZN Japan, U-NEXT

POS.	TEAM	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P	FORM
1	Deportivo Alavés	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3	W
2	Espanyol	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3	W
3	Sevilla	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3	W
4	Villarreal	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	D
5	Racing Santander	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	D
6	Real Sociedad	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Elche	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Celta de Vigo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Málaga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Real Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Atlético Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Deportivo La Coruña	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Valencia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Athletic Club	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	Real Betis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	Osasuna	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	Rayo Vallecano	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0	L
19	Getafe	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0	L
20	Levante	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0	L