Chelsea vs Real Sociedad - Preview, Team News, Prediction & How To Watch Pre-Season Match | OneFootball

Previewing Chelsea vs Real Sociedad in pre-season. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Chelsea continue their preparations for the season under new manager Xabi Alonso with one final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon.

Their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia had many positives, but also plenty of areas for improvement.

Two wins, two losses, and one draw from five friendly matches throughout the tour reflected the team's inconsistent performance so far, finding the net on a regular basis, but their defensive weaknesses from last season continued to be exposed.

In Chelsea's defence, they were never at full strength, given that many of their star players were on extended leave after representing their countries at the 2026 World Cup.

Similarly, Real Sociedad have not had convincing results in their pre-season. Despite winning two of their first three pre-season games, the Spanish side suffered three consecutive defeats heading into this match, losing to Toulouse and twice to Cologne.

Chelsea remain the favourites for this weekend's friendly, of course, especially given the London club's summer spending spree.

This is Alonso's last opportunity to experiment with his new squad in a match ahead of Chelsea's season opener against west London neighbours Fulham on August 24.

Additionally, it will be the first taste of Stamford Bridge atmosphere for Alonso as the new manager and many of Chelsea's summer arrivals.

Here are all the details you need ahead of Saturday's friendly match against Real Sociedad.

Date, time and location of Chelsea vs Real Sociedad

Date: Saturday 15th August 2026

Kick-off time: 2pm (UK)

Stadium: Stamford Bridge

Eight more players have joined Chelsea’s pre-season this week: Reece James, Enzo Fernandez, Malo Gusto, and summer signings Morgan Rogers, Jordan Henderson, Valentin Barco, Maxence Lacroix, and Pep Chavarria, whose arrival from Rayo Vallecano was confirmed.

Emmanuel Emegha also returned to training after recovering from a hamstring injury.

It remains unclear whether any of these players will be ready for the starting line-up, but at least some may feature late in the game as they prepare for the new season.

Levi Colwill was absent from Chelsea’s recent pre-season games against AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta’zim due to a minor fitness issue. He has since returned to training, so he should be in contention to start.

Penders’ availability, on the other hand, remains uncertain. Since Robert Sanchez is Chelsea's number one, he is likely to start to get ready for the opener against Fulham.

Like Colwill, Penders missed the last two pre-season games, but Alonso has yet to give any official explanation for his absence.

All of Chelsea's 2026 pre-season fixtures will be streamed live on CFC+.

CFC+ can be purchased as part of Chelsea's True Blue+ / Junior Blue Membership.

Prediction

Chelsea 3-1 Real Sociedad