# Real Sociedad pre-season preparations > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/real-sociedad-pre-season-preparations > Updated: 2026-08-12T04:00:00.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 3. Real Sociedad has engaged in several pre-season friendly matches to prepare for the upcoming league campaign. During a friendly against Toulouse in France, the club fielded a youthful starting eleven featuring several players with squad numbers above 25. This lineup, selected by new Danish coach Jens Berthel Askou, aimed to provide bench players with minutes ahead of the season. In Germany, the club participated in a scheduled double-header against FC Köln. The first match was a behind-closed-doors fixture at the Franz-Kremer-Stadion, which resulted in a 2-0 defeat after conceding two goals in the final 15 minutes. Despite the loss, goalkeeper Marrero was noted for making three significant saves. The second fixture, held at the RheinEnergieStadion and streamed live on the club’s YouTube channel, ended in a 2-1 victory for FC Köln. This marked the second consecutive win for the German side against Real Sociedad within a 24-hour period. Throughout these preparations, the club has utilized squad rotation to manage player workload. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-12: 1. FC Köln defeats Real Sociedad in pre-season friendly 1. FC Köln defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 in a final pre-season test match, followed by a fan celebration featuring 3,330 liters of Gaffel Kölsch. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/1-fc-kln-defeats-real-sociedad-in-pre-season-friendly ### 2026-08-07: Real Sociedad loses 2-0 in friendly against FC Köln Real Sociedad lost 2-0 in a closed-door pre-season friendly against FC Köln in Germany as part of their weekend double-header. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/real-sociedad-loses-2-0-in-friendly-against-fc-kln ### 2026-07-31: Real Sociedad and Deportivo feature pre‑season line‑ups and substitute goals Real Sociedad named a youthful line‑up for a friendly in Tarbes, while Deportivo’s Zakaria Eddahchouri scored as a substitute in a German pre‑season match. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/real-sociedad-and-deportivo-feature-preseason-lineups-and-substitute-goals --- Cite as: Real Sociedad pre-season preparations. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/real-sociedad-pre-season-preparations