As we count down to the beginning of the Spanish Primera season and the opening round of fixtures, TSZ assesses the contenders in terms of the battle for both the title and European football, highlighting those clubs expected to be challenging and ultimately who we think will finish in the top six.
*Note that these are solely our predictions.
SPANISH PRIMERA TOP SIX
1. Barcelona
2. Real Madrid
3. Sevilla
4. Atletico Madrid
5. Villarreal
6. Real Sociedad
Winning the league is, quite possibly, the least of Barcelona’s worries. However, the Catalans are going to be financially reliant on consistent and almost nigh-on perfect success in the coming years and there is an on-field risk that an inexperienced coach leading a huge rebuild will end without its ‘fairytale’. Do not overthink it, though. Barca have signed one of, if not the, best striker in the world to complement an already star-studded attack that clicked into gear in the Spring before drifting as a squad without a Xavi-led pre-season. Now, with just over two months of prep and further implementation of genuinely impressive coaching, they should be ready to kick on and regain the Spanish title.
Carlo Ancelotti’s magic has often tended to come in Europe, wherever he has been, and it could be argued the Italian benefitted from a truly below par Barca and Atleti last season in La Liga. It feels like Sevilla may have missed the boat to mount a serious title challenge but they appear more trustworthy than an Atletico side that are still trying to work out what they are - still the hyper-Cholismo class of 13/14 or a side evolving to be built around Joao Felix? They should have enough for top four, though.
