Spanish football is finally back! The new La Liga season starts tonight with the game between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona.
Title-holders Barcelona kick off the 2019-20 La Liga campaign with an away trip to Athletic Bilbao this evening.
Osasuna and Granada will make their returns to top-tier Spanish football, alongside Mallorca who overturned a two-goal deficit against Deportivo La Coruna in the playoffs final.
They switch places with Rayo Vallecano, Huesca and Girona – the worst three sides from the 2018-19 season. When it comes to the best teams, let’s have a look at each of the title contenders separately.
Barcelona
Barcelona will be looking to win their third consecutive Spanish championship this season, after clinching the title with an 11-point advantage the last term.
The Catalans are dominating Spanish football in the past decade, they lifted eight La Liga trophies in the last 11 years.
Ins and outs
Barcelona invested more than €250 million in new signings this summer. Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid is their biggest signing in the current transfer period, while Frenkie de Jong from Ajax in one for the future.
They switched goalkeepers Neto and Cillessen with Valencia and also signed 22-year-old left-back Junior Firpo from Real Betis in an €18 million transfer deal.
The Catalans are desperately trying to resign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain, although the deal seems impossible at the moment.
Most important players
Lionel Messi, of course, is Barcelona’s most important player. He has scored 419 goals in 452 appearances in top-flight Spanish football, an absolute record which will only get better in the years to come.
The defending champions will also depend on Luis Suarez’s form, who netted 21 times in La Liga last season, while new signings Griezmann and De Jong could play an important role as well.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid is heading into the 2019-20 La Liga campaign after an average pre-season tour this summer.
The Whites struggled in their friendlies beating only Fenerbahce and Salzburg in the regular 90 minutes. They also suffered an embarrassing defeat to Atletico Madrid, losing 7-3 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.
There is a tough test waiting for Zinedine Zidane in the upcoming La Liga season, as the Frenchman will be looking to win his second Spanish championship as a manager.
Ins and outs
Florentino Perez decided to splash the cash this summer, spending more €300 million on reinforcements so far.
Belgian football star Eden Hazard (€100m) is Madrid’s most notable signing, while they also brought Eder Militao (€50m), Luka Jovic (€60m), Rodrygo (€45m) and Ferland Mendy (€48m) to the Bernabeu stadium.
They are also fighting with Barcelona for Neymar’s signature, who is on his way out of Paris this summer. Gareth Bale’s future is still unsolved, with Bayern Munich being one of the options for the Welsh winger.
Real Madrid struggled to find a real leader after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure last summer. Eden Hazard was given the Number 7 a few days ago, so probably he is the one who is expected to fill in Ronaldo’s shoes in the upcoming 2019-20 campaign.
Sergio Ramos is always a big figure in Madrid’s dressing room, while Luka Modric and Toni Kroos need to return in top form if the Whites want to be able to control the flow of their games again.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid is heading into the 2019-20 campaign in an excellent mood, after winning all of the six friendly games in their pre-season tour.
The Colchoneros proved they can also play football, demonstrating some mouth-watering performances in the United States this summer.
They will be looking to repeat their success from 2014 and win the Spanish La Liga for the 11th time in history.
Ins and outs
Diego Simeone will start the new season without his best player, Antoine Griezmann who switched Madrid for Barcelona in a €120 million transfer deal and his former captain, Diego Godin, whose contract expired at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
However, a new star was born at Atletico Madrid, as the Argentine manager invested the money from Griezmann’s transfer to buy the Portuguese wonderkid Joao Felix from Benfica.
They also signed Kieran Trippier from Tottenham, Marcos Llorente from Real Madrid and the Porto duo – Felipe and Hector Herrera, while Spanish striker Rodrigo Moreno from Valencia is expected to complete his move to the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in the coming days.
Most important players
When it comes to Atletico Madrid, the Colchoneros are better known for their team quality than the individual stars.
However, Diego Costa who scored four goals in the Real Madrid trashing this summer is expected to be their main executor this season, while newcomer Joao Felix could inherit Griezmann’s role and be the number one creator.
Champions League race
With the first three places being reserved for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, let’s talk about the fourth place on the table – the last spot which guarantees Champions League football for the 2020-2021 campaign.
Valencia
Last season’s Copa del Rey winners, Valencia is number one favorite for a top-four finish in the upcoming La Liga season.
They are about to lose their top goalscorer Rodrigo Moreno to Atletico Madrid, but signed Jaume Costa from Villareal, Maxi Gomez from Celta Vigo and Eliaquim Mangala from Manchester City.
Young Spanish forward Ferran Torres is expected to get a first-team role following Rodrigo’s departure, while captain Dani Parejo and Portuguese forward Goncalo Guedes are expected to be Valencia’s leaders in the 2019-20 campaign.
Sevilla
Sevilla will be looking to return in the Champions League, after missing out on the most elite European competition in the past two campaigns.
Last season, Sevilla suffered 13 defeats in the domestic championship, a record they will have to improve this term. They will also need to improve their defence, as the club from Andalusia conceded 47 goals in the 2018-19 campaign.
And that’s why they signed left-back Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid on a one-year loan deal, as well as former Manchester City defensive midfielder Fernando.
Other contenders: Athletic Club, Getafe, Real Betis, Real Sociedad
Who Will Finish as La Liga’s Top Goal Scorer?
Lionel Messi has claimed the Pichichi Trophy for the last three seasons. The Argentine has a ridiculous goal-scoring record for Barcelona and has claimed the award on six separate occasions.
The little magician appears to be getting better with age, and anyone can stop him from finishing as La Liga’s top goal scorer for a record seventh time?
Messi’s teammate Luis Suarez is next in the running. Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard are also favourites while Barcelona new boy Antoine Griezmann follows them.