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LaLiga is back. The 2023-24 season kicks off on Friday with Almeria vs. Rayo Vallecano, with the league’s big two getting underway on Saturday — with Real Madrid visiting Athletic Club — and Sunday, as Barcelona travel to Getafe.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Will champions Barca retain their crown? Can a new-look Real Madrid bounce back? Could Atletico Madrid repeat their 2021 title win? And which of a host of contenders — Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Villarreal, a revitalised Sevilla — will clinch a top four finish?
ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Alex Kirkland take a team-by-team look at the league, assessing each club’s changing fortunes, players to keep an eye on, and their managers’ job security.
Team-by-team guide
– Transfers in: DF Rafa Marin (Real Madrid), MF Antonio Blanco (Real Madrid), FW Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), MF Ander Guevara (Real Sociedad)
– Transfers out: DF Victor Laguardia (retired)
– Last season: Segunda (promoted via playoffs), Copa del Rey (round of 16)
Will they be better or worse this season?
Alaves’ 2022-23 ended in the most dramatic way possible. A fourth-place finish in Segunda — after a nail-biting five-team race — sent them to the playoffs, where they were seconds from missing out on promotion when Asier Villalibre converted a 124th minute penalty in the second leg of the final against Levante. With the game’s last kick, heartbreak turned to euphoria in an instant, and Alaves were up.
It’s hard to imagine this season living up to that level of drama. Survival in Primera would be enough. Alaves have been First Division regulars over the last decade — with six consecutive top flight seasons from 2016 to 2022 — and boast an atmospheric, old-school stadium in Mendizorroza, but this squad looks weak, and a relegation battle is inevitable.
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