New LaLiga season begins tonight, and it will be the first season LaLiga will be competing without the presence of both superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC battled for the title last season, with Atleti coming out on top; all four will be determined to start the new year with a three-point haul against tricky opposition.
Due to the intense heat of the Spanish summer, all fixtures of the opening matchday are taking place in the late afternoon or evening.
🔥 TODAY.
🔥 IS.
🔥 THE.
🔥 DAY.▶️ #PLAYLaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/VYbvvrGBC2
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) August 13, 2021
The new campaign kicks off at the league’s oldest stadium at Mestalla 3am tonight. There, Valencia CF will take on Getafe CF and, thanks to a neat quirk of the fixture list, this will see new Valencia coach José Bordalás take on the club he just left. These two teams have played out some fiery contests in recent years and now there’s another interesting dynamic in the mix.
Five LaLiga games will be playing on early Sunday morning in Malaysia, as newly promoted side RCD Mallorca in action against Real Betis while Cádiz CF and Levante UD will face each other again after drawing 2-2 on the final day of last season, followed by Osasuna vs Espanyol.
Real Madrid’s first match of the new season then takes place at 4am in the morning. Even though Los Blancos’ new coach Carlo Ancelotti has managed the club in LaLiga Santander before, the Italian will face a brand-new opponent in the form of D. Alavés. He never took on the Basque side during his previous stint in charge, but will be well aware of how tough they are to play at their Mendizorrotza home. Real Madrid famously lost there to a last-minute goal back in 2018.
The reigning champions Atlético de Madrid launch their title defence in the first game of Sunday at 11.30pm. Like their capital city neighbors, they also start the season with a tough away trip as Diego Simeone must take his team to Galicia to face a RC Celta side that finished last season well and that have added some interesting reinforcements in the summer including Javi Galán and Franco Cervi.
Next up is FC Barcelona vs Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou, 2am, Monday morning. It’s the first game of the post-Messi era, and so perhaps the most fascinating match in recent Barça history as the club’s remaining creative talents look to show how they fit in to Ronald Koeman’s setup.
Their talent and ability to adapt will now be needed against a Real Sociedad side who finished fifth last season and who have a habit starting seasons well.
Sevilla FC will seriously believe they could challenge for the title in 2021/22. After finishing last year with a club-record points total of 77, they have strengthened the squad this summer with the signing of Erik Lamela and, expecting another tight title race, they’ll hope to start off by taking three points against newly promoted Rayo Vallecano at 4.15am, Monday morning.
The last time Rayo were in the top flight (2018/19) they also faced Sevilla on Matchday 1 and it didn’t end well for them (4-1); they’ll be hoping to avoid a similar outcome this time around.
There are two further fixtures on Tuesday morning, starting with Europa League champions Villarreal CF’s home game against Granada CF, a repeat of an unforgettable Matchday 1 fixture back in 2019 that finished 4-4.
Both clubs have changed coach since then, but goals will still be expected. Villarreal will, though, hope that Carlos Bacca doesn’t score them, as the Colombian striker has just switched from yellow to the red and white of Granada.
The final fixture of this season’s opening round sees Elche CF host Athletic Club. It was this match-up that ensured Elche stayed up last season, beating the Basques 2-0 on the final day of the 2020/21 campaign to avoid relegation by the skin of their collective teeth.
That was a huge win, but Athletic Club will be out for some revenge for their most recent competitive loss. That’s just one of the many fascinating storylines of the new season’s opening round.
Watch LaLiga Santander live this weekend on BeIN Sports channel.
We've missed you, #Culers. pic.twitter.com/EU8VjVtYgJ
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 13, 2021