The 2015-16 La Liga season kicks off today, and already, the focus is on powerhouses FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
FC Barcelona begins their La Liga season on August 23rd when they face Athletic Bilbao in a rematch of this previous month’s Supercopa de España. Bilbao put together a two-legged performance for the ages, defeating Barcelona, 5-1, on aggregate, claiming the club’s first trophy in over 30 years. Barcelona will look for revenge in what is going to be a raucous sold out stadium. According to viagogo, FC Barcelona tickets for the rematch start at $500 with very limited inventory remaining.
Heading into this season as the defending league, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League titleholders, all eyes are on Barcelona, especially after the surprising result to Bilbao. While they will be heavily favored all year long, the looming suspension of defender Gerard Pique and the potential departure of winger Pedro, this season will be no walk in the park.
The 23-time La Liga winners still have more than enough talent to secure another successful season. This list contains Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez, midfielder Andres Iniesta, Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic and the iconic Lionel Messi. Last season Barcelona was able to stroll their way through a long season, as the dynamic trio of Neymar, Messi and Suárez combined for a total of 122 goals.
The biggest challenger of their title defense, per usual, will be El Clásico counterpart Real Madrid, who kick off their season on August 23rd against Sporting de Gijón under new manager Rafael Benítez.
This summer has seen President Florentino Pérez and Benítez reinforce the squad to replace some former key players. Having moved on from goalkeeper Iker Casillas and midfielder Sami Khedira, Madrid has acquired the talents of defender Danilo from FC Porto and the highly-rated Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovačić.