Alaves will face Getafe in the opening match
\n BARCELONA
\nSpain\u2019s top flight kicks off the 2026\/27 season on Saturday, although defending champions Barcelona and Jose Mourinho\u2019s Real Madrid are not in action yet. AFP Sport looks at five talking points going into the first round of fixtures.
\nGiants must wait
\nDue to many of their players being involved in the latter stages of the World Cup, Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will not play their first matches until next weekend.
\nHansi Flick\u2019s Barca, back-to-back La Liga winners, visit Elche on August 23, a day after Mourinho\u2019s first match at the helm of Real Madrid in his second spell at the club, away at Espanyol.
\nMuch of the intrigue heading into the season concerns whether the Portuguese coach can revive a Madrid side after two seasons without a major trophy, as well as how Los Blancos\u2019 several summer signings bed in.
\nAs well as the postponements for Barca and Madrid\u2019s matches against Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad respectively, Atletico Madrid\u2019s first game against Malaga was pushed back by a few days to August 19.
\nReal Betis\u2019s scheduled visit to Valencia will also not take place on the opening weekend for the same reason.
\nAtletico\u2019s Alvarez issue
\nAtletico Madrid kick off their season with the Julian Alvarez transfer saga still unresolved, although the Rojiblancos say they are not planning on selling him to Barcelona.
\nThe forward wants to move but has returned to training with his team-mates. With his holidays finishing later than most after Argentina reached the World Cup final, and amid the speculation of a potential departure, it is not likely that Alvarez starts Atletico\u2019s first match.
\nHowever he could be involved in some capacity and face heavy criticism from Atletico\u2019s supporters at the Metropolitano stadium on Wednesday.
\nDiego Simeone\u2019s side finished last season empty-handed and came fourth in La Liga, with the Rojiblancos hoping to be significantly stronger in the top flight this season, with or without the Argentine forward.
\nPerez at Villarreal
\nVillarreal impressed in La Liga last season as they came third under Marcelino Garcia Toral, who departed at the end of the campaign and has been replaced by Inigo Perez.
\nThe 38-year-old coach earned praise for his work at Rayo Vallecano, whom he led to the Conference League final, earning the step up to helm the Yellow Submarine.
\nWith exciting attacking players in the squad including Ayoze Perez, Nicolas Pepe and Alberto Moleiro, Perez and Villarreal seems on paper a good match and they could be an exciting team to watch this season.
\nThey visit Racing Santander on Sunday before an early test against Atletico Madrid on August 23, one of their rivals for a top four spot.
\nBack from the depths
\nThree historically significant clubs returned to La Liga after lengthy absences in Racing Santander, Deportivo La Coruna and Malaga.
\nMany will remember the latter two from their participation in the Champions League, with Depor reaching the semi-finals in 2004, losing out to Mourinho\u2019s Porto.
\nMalaga reached the quarter-finals in 2013, but like Depor slumped down into Spain\u2019s third tier.
\nRacing also spent much of the last 14 years down there before returning to the top flight for the first time since 2012.
\nAll three clubs have strong fan bases and should offer vibrant home support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alaves will face Getafe in the opening match BARCELONA Spain\u2019s top flight kicks off the 2026\/27 season on Saturday, although defending champions Barcelona and Jose Mourinho\u2019s Real Madrid are not in action yet. AFP Sport looks at five talking points going into the first round of fixtures. Giants must wait Due to many of their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":562019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-562008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n