La Liga preview: Can someone dethrone Real Madrid?
Damas y caballeros, La Liga is gearing up for another exciting season! The season commences on August 17th when 20 teams will start with the dream of lifting the trophy. Real Madrid are the defending champions but have their work cut out for them, as no team has won back-to-back titles since FC Barcelona in the 2018/19 season.
Who’s the favorite?
Predicting this year’s champion, it’s hard to look past Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti’s squad dominated last season, finishing 10 points clear of Barcelona while also making a triumphant run in the Champions League.
Despite key players like Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and David Alaba missing significant time due to injuries, Real lost just once in 38 games.
This season, Real has even strengthened their squad with the arrivals of French superstar striker Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian prodigy Endrick. Replacing the legendary Toni Kroos in midfield will be a challenge, but with Ancelotti’s great tactical mind, expect creative solutions, possibly even a deeper playmaking role for last season’s scoring machine, Jude Bellingham.
Real’s closest rivals are likely to be, as always, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Atletico, under Diego Simeone, has consistently finished in La Liga’s top four since he took the reins in 2012.
Despite losing key players like Alvaro Morata, Memphis Depay and Stefan Savic, they’ve bolstered their squad with Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth and Robin Le Normand, potentially making them even stronger.
Barcelona, last year’s runner-up, faces significant hurdles this season. Ongoing financial troubles still prevent them from registering new players, including new signing Dani Olmo. However, the 26-year-old remains optimistic, believing the club will manage the wage situation and salary limit before the start of the season.
One thing that won’t be managed before the start of the season are injuries to key players Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, that will certainly add to the challenge for new head coach Hansi Flick.
Additionally, Barcelona will play the first four months at the temporary Montjuic stadium while their legendary Camp Nou undergoes renovations.
Who’s the dark horse?
While three out of the four top teams have been somewhat predictable in the last years, the fourth Champions League spot is up for grabs.
Girona, who finished third last season, faces a tough challenge this year due to key player departures — Artem Dovbyk, Aleix Garcia, Yan Couto and Eric Garcia — and the added strain of Champions League fixtures.
The usual “others”, Sevilla and Valencia, are still in transitional phases, making a top-four finish surprising but not impossible. Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, seems well-positioned to make a run for fourth place.
Retaining Nico Williams despite Barcelona’s interest was a huge boost for Ernesto Valverde’s side. If not distracted by the Europa League (with the final to be held at their home stadium San Mames), Bilbao could be this season’s dark horse.
Real Betis is another team to watch. Under Manuel Pellegrini, Betis has become more stable and unpredictable in a good way. With talents like Isco and Nabil Fekir, Betis can beat anyone on a good day. Injuries will be the big topic with those two, but if they stay healthy, Betis could challenge for a top-four finish.
Villarreal and Real Sociedad have also finished strongly in recent seasons but have lost key players this summer. Atletico snatched Alexander Sorloth from Villarreal and Robin Le Normand from Sociedad, while Mikel Merino’s future at Sociedad also remains uncertain. Thus it might be hard for them to take the last Champions League place.
Who will be relegated?
At the bottom of the table, six teams are likely to battle relegation: newcomers Espanyol, Real Valladolid and Leganes, alongside Rayo Vallecano, Celta Vigo and Las Palmas.
Since winning promotion, Espanyol have been rocked by the departure of Martin Braithwaite, last season’s Segunda Division top scorer with 22 goals. While playoff hero Javi Puado and promising goalkeeper Joan Garcia are still there to awe the fans, it might be too hard for them to stay up.
Former Brazil legend Ronaldo, who owns Valladolid, hasn’t always spent big in the transfer market, but this summer the club has invested €14m on new signings: Stipe Biuk, Victor Meseguer, Raul Moro, Amath Ndiaye, Stanko Juric, Andre Ferreira, Eray Comert and Karl Hein.
Doing so, Valladolid has replaced all departures, but the biggest question remains: who will score their goals as Mamadou Sylla only netted eight times last season in Segunda Division.
Leganes did well converting last season’s top scorer Miguel de la Fuente’s loan into a permanent move, as they did with Juan Cruz and Enric Granados, but a painful relegation battle still looks almost inevitable for them.
Rayo Vallecano’s chances took a hit when their first-choice goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski moved to Valencia on a free transfer. New arrivals Pelayo Fernandez, Pedro Diaz and loanees Gerard Gumbau and Adri Embarba add depth, but don’t address Rayo’s biggest problem: who will score for them?
Celta Vigo experienced a big setback when last season’s top scorer Jorgen Strand Larsen joined Wolves. To replace those goals, Celta loaned Borja Iglesias from Betis and hopes Swedish youngster Williot Swedberg continues his bright end to last season. But those are big if’s…
Las Palmas have issues across the board. While they signed veteran goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, they lost key defenders Saul Coco and Sergi Cardona. Their bigger problem is their attack, as they only scored 33 goals last season. Manu Fuster from Albacete might help, but without more signings, they risk losing their top-flight status in 2025.
As the season unfolds, expect thrilling matches, dramatic upsets, and new stars emerging in Spain’s top flight. Real Madrid might be the favorites, but La Liga is never short of surprises.
