Real Madrid snatched the La Liga title back from their El Clasico rivals last term thanks in part to the exceptional impact of new boy Jude Bellingham and the signing of another superstar, Kylian Mbappe, has seen them installed as strong favourites to retain their crown.
The new season gets underway on Friday evening, so it is time to start thinking about some predictions for the upcoming La Liga campaign.
- ATLETICO WITHOUT REAL AND BARCA
- ALEXANDER SORLOTH TOP GOALSCORER EACH-WAY
- LAS PALMAS TO BE RELEGATED
Bet On La Liga
Atlético Madrid To Win (Without Real And Barca)
It is hard to envisage anybody stopping Real Madrid this season, with the addition of Mbappe only making the best squad in the league even stronger, so there may be more value in other markets.
Atletico Madrid are favourites in the without Real Madrid and Barcelona market but there is enough juice in the price to consider that selection, especially as they could be set for an exciting season.
Atleti had to settle for fourth last term as surprise package Griona deservedly took third, however there should be improvement to come from Diego Simeone’s men while last season’s ‘best of the rest’ look set to regress.
Girona now have the distraction of Champions League football, which their players will not be accustomed to, while the loss of key men Savinho and Artem Dovbyk will likely hit them hard.
Athletic Bilbao could be in for a good season, but Nico Williams looks set to john Barca and veterans Iker Muniain and Raul Garcia have departed, leaving a big leadership void at the basque club.
Real Sociedad finished sixth last season, but they were a huge 16 points behind Atleti in fourth and having made no outstanding signings and suffering some significant departures, it is difficult to see them closing that gigantic gap this term.
Villarreal are also prominent in the betting, but they could only manage eighth last year and have suffered arguably the most detrimental outgoings in the division.
Both their top scorer and goalkeeper have departed, while experienced midfielder Francis Coqeulin, Manu Trigueros and Etienne Capoue have also all left the club - the Yellow Submarine could easily sink into the bottom half.
Meanwhile, Atleti have arse set to add Julian Alvarez to Alexander Sorloth in attack, while Euro 2024 winner Robin Le Normand is a shrewd signing at the back. They have an even stronger squad than last season, which wasn’t a terrible campaign by any means, and could finish at least third this time around.
Simeone is an extremely experienced coach who knows how to win in Spain and with plenty of issues plaguing the other contenders for third, Atleti rate the best of the rest in La Liga for the upcoming campaign.
Alexander Sorloth Top Goalscorer - Each-Way
While the imminent signing of World Cup winner Alvarez may steal the headlines, it is the other attacking signing Atletico have made who could make the bigger immediate impact at the Metropolitano.
Sorloth narrowly missed out on being the top scorer in La Liga last term by a single goal - Girona’s Dovbyk netted 24 - and should be high up in the scoring charts again this time around.
The likes of Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann should help the former Villarreal striker net plenty and his knowledge of the league could be useful, while his height and pace mean he has the perfect physical profile for a Simeone forward.
Sorloth looks set for a big season in the capital, but backing him each-way could be a clever move.
Mbappe is odds-on for top scorer honours after netting 162 goals in 178 Ligue 1 games with PSG and if he hits the ground running, the French captain could be difficult to catch.
His new team-mates Vinicius Junior and Bellingham should also net a few, while Robert Lewandowski cannot be discounted when it comes to goalscoring.
Sorloth may surpass his 23-goal tally of last term in a stronger side, but La Liga’s big boys will also be high up in the charts and there is enough juice in his price to warrant an each-way play.
Las Palmas To Be Relegated
While Atletico look set for a productive season at the top end of the table, three teams will have a much tougher time at the bottom, with Las Palmas in particular seemingly facing a difficult campaign.
Los Amarillos finished 16th last season, which is a miracle really, given that they failed to win any of their final 14 games of the campaign. That run saw them lose nine times and score just eight goals, suggesting it could be a miserable season for the Gran Canarian side.
A repeat of that form would undoubtedly see them relegated and it is difficult to talk up the numerous signings they have made either.
Oli McBurnie is far from prolific, having netted just 13 goals in his last 70 Premier League appearances, suggesting he is not the obvious solution to their clear goalscoring issues.
Adnan Januzaj has been brought in as a creative spark, but the inconsistent Belgian played just eight times in La Liga last term, registering zero goals and zero assists, meaning he will also take time to get up to speed.
The sole positive for Las Palmas last term was their defence, which shipped a respectable 47 league goals all season.
However, defensive regulars Saul Coco and Sergi Cardona have departed for Torino and Villarreal respectively and their replacements do not inspire much confidence.
Free transfer signing Alex Munoz is unproven at this level and former Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna was poor at Euro 2024 with Scotland and played in Denmark with Copenhagen last season - neither are sure to keep things tight at the back.
With a lack of goals up front, weakness at the back and with confidence low after a dreadful run to end last season, it could be a troublesome campaign for the side from Gran Canaria.
