La Liga Kickoff: Barcelona and Real Madrid Delayed, But Fierce Title Battle Awaits
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Staggered Start for La Liga
After a long summer which included some pulsating World Cup action, the Spanish top flight gets back underway with the 2026-27 La Liga season! However, there will be a few notable names missing out on this weekend’s action. Barcelona, Real Madrid and a few other clubs have all had their matchday one fixtures postponed due to the aforementioned World Cup, as a high number of international players from Spain, France and other nations reached the latter stages of the tournament.
La Liga therefore granted an extended rest period before those teams return to domestic duties. Barcelona and Real Madrid will not feature until matchday two, with their original matchday one fixtures rescheduled to later in the month. Atlético Madrid's opener against Málaga remains part of matchday one but has been pushed back to Wednesday 19 August.
The rescheduled dates are as follows:
- Valencia vs Real Betis: Tuesday, 25 August
- Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: Wednesday, 26 August
- Barcelona vs Athletic Club: Thursday, 27 August
- Celta Vigo vs Osasuna: Thursday, 27 August
Ironically, Celta Vigo were one of the teams that opted against the extended rest period and were set to face Osasuna this Saturday before a fungal outbreak on their pitch meant that the match was delayed anyway.
The season officially kicks off with Alaves hosting Getafe on Saturday for the campaign’s curtain raiser. Our experts are backing Jorge Bordalas’ side to get a result! See the full analysis in our Alaves vs Getafe prediction!
Barca's homegrown core chases three-peat
The last time a La Liga club won three consecutive league titles was the legendary Guardiola-led Barcelona teams of the early 2010s. Barca’s current manager, Hansi Flick, will now attempt to write his name into the Catalan club’s history books.
Barcelona have won three of the last four league titles (although Xavi was responsible for the 2022-23 crown), with Real Madrid interrupting their spell of dominance in the 2023-24 campaign.
There are, interestingly enough, many parallels that can be drawn between Guardiola’s Barcelona and Flick’s.
The most striking parallel is the number 10 shirt itself, once worn by Leo Messi and now carried into this new era by Lamine Yamal. He’s arguably the best young player world football has seen since La Pulga burst onto the scene at the turn of the millennia. World Cup champion, Euro champion, Copa del Rey champion and three-time league winner, Yamal’s CV is already loaded for a player who is just 18 years of age.
But the parallels go beyond one player. Similar to Guardiola's side, the backbone of Flick's Barcelona is built on La Masia graduates. Cubarsí anchors the defence at 19 years old, Fermín López is vital to the midfield, Balde has made the left-back position his own and other graduates such as Eric Garcia and Gavi play significant minutes when fit. It is, at its core, a homegrown squad that is supplemented by signings, rather than the other way around.
Barcelona: key ins and outs
| In | From | Out | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Gordon | Newcastle | Robert Lewandowski | Chicago Fire |
| Karim Adeyemi | Dortmund | Ronald Araujo (loan) | Liverpool |
| Jesse Bisiwu | Club Brugge | Marcus Rashford (return from loan) | Manchester United |
| Ansu Fati | AS Monaco |
Heavily rumoured moves:
- Rodri (Man City) - personal terms agreed on a four-year deal, second bid of €60m submitted
- Julian Alvarez (Atlético Madrid) - €100m bid rejected, saga ongoing
- Ferran Torres - agreement in principle to sell to PSG reportedly reached at around €55m
The Special One: back in Madrid
One of the biggest blockbuster transfers of the summer wasn’t a player, but a manager. The legendary José Mourinho was appointed manager of Real Madrid for a second stint, following the short stints of Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, both of whom landed Premier League jobs.
It represents a massive gamble for Los Merengues, and there is perhaps a hint of desperation on the part of Florentino Perez.
He’s turning to a manager who had underwhelming spells at both Fenerbahce and Benfica, leading to many questioning whether or not Mourinho could still compete with Europe’s elite.
Whatever happens, it will surely be entertaining as the Special One links up with the Spanish press once again. On the positive side for Los Blancos, it could wind up being just what that locker room needs. Mourinho excels in creating a siege-mentality within his teams, and what better than to frame it once more as Real Madrid trying to stop a generational Barcelona side, much like he did in 2011-12.
Real Madrid: key ins and outs
| In | From | Out | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Cucurella | Chelsea | Dani Carvajal | Released |
| Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool | David Alaba | Released |
| Denzel Dumfries | Inter | Gonzalo Garcia | Fulham |
| Bernardo Silva | Man City | ||
| Yan Diomande | Leipzig | ||
| Carlos Espi | Levante |
Will there be a dark horse title contender?
The obvious answer to this one is Atletico Madrid, of whom our experts believe will start off with three points in our Atletico Madrid vs Malaga prediction! And while they are certainly the most likely candidate behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, it’s tough to see Los Colchoneros realistically competing for the title.
The Alvarez saga isn’t doing them any favours - if the player gets his way and leaves, Atleti might have to scramble for a replacement. But if Alvarez stays, there’s the risk of low-morale affecting his performances after openly pushing for a move away. Alvarez remains Atletico’s most sought-after asset and seeing him depart could be ‘Adios’ to any title hopes.
