Real Madrid Schedule 2014-15: List of Fixtures and Early Analysis

Now that Real Madrid's obsession with capturing their coveted 10th European crown is over, the club and its supporters can focus on a new goal: dethroning crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

The 2014-15 fixtures were released on Thursday, outlining the path Real must take if they are to establish themselves as Kings of Spain once more:

Matchday	Date	Opponent
1	August 24	Cordoba
2	August 31	Real Sociedad
3	September 14	Atletico Madrid
4	September 21	Deportivo de la Coruna
5	September 24	Elche
6	September 28	Villareal
7	October 5	Athletic Bilbao
8	October 19	Levante
9	October 26	Barcelona
10	November 2	Granada
11	November 9	Rayo Vallecano
12	November 23	Eibar
13	November 30	Malaga
14	December 12	Celta Viga
15	December 14	Almeria
16	December 21	Sevilla
17	January 4	Valencia
18	January 11	Espanyol
19	January 18	Getafe
20	January 25	Cordoba
21	February 1	Real Sociedad
22	February 8	Atletico Madrid
23	February 15	Deportivo de la Coruna
24	February 22	Elche
25	March 1	Villareal
26	March 8	Athletic Bilbao
27	March 15	Levante
28	March 22	Barcelona
29	April 5	Granada
30	April 8	Rayo Vallecano
31	April 12	Eibar
32	April 19	Malaga
33	April 26	Celta Viga
34	April 29	Almeria
35	May 3	Sevilla
36	May 10	Valencia
37	May 17	Espanyol
38	May 24	Getafe

Three minutes tipped the balance of Madrid's 2013-14 campaign from complete disaster to historic triumph. Had Sergio Ramos not scored the equaliser in the 93rd minute of the Champions League final, Los Blancos would have lost out on the league and been deprived of "La Decima" by one of their most hated rivals.

Real Madrid's Copa del Rey win would have rung hollow, and manager Carlo Ancelotti almost certainly would have been out of a job.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Instead, Gareth Bale paid back every euro of his €100 million transfer fee by scoring the winner in the Champions League final and ending what had been years of misery in the Santiago Bernabeu.

He called it "a dream come true, literally," per UEFA.com's Alfredo Rodriguez.

"When you're a little boy you dream of lifting the Champions League, and to lift the 10th one for Real Madrid is special," he added. "It's one that will go down in history."

Fresh Faces Bring Hunger to Madrid

Despite the club's Champions League and Copa del Rey successes, its performance in the league was dotted by inconsistent patches, such as the three-match stretch at the end of the season that featured draws against Valencia and Real Valladolid and defeat at the hands of Celta Vigo.

Next season should be different. Last year's summer signings are fully bedded into both the squad and La Liga, while younger stars like Daniel Carvajal, Raphael Varane and Jese are ready to take on larger roles. Jese, in particular, could be in for big things after essentially supplanting Alvaro Morata in the lineup:

Additionally, Madrid have added two of the World Cup's top performers in Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez, bringing even more invention to their already frightening attack.

Key Games

Obviously, the first two matches that stick out the most are those initial clashes against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Those fixtures allow Madrid to lay a marker down in the first half of the season. If they take all six points, they'll have likely inserted themselves as title favourites, while dropping points to one or both might create unnecessary panic.

Last year, Los Blancos dropped both matches in the first half of the campaign. The 1-0 home defeat to Atletico was particularly galling.

Next year will likely be a return to normality in terms of the duopoly. Madrid and Barca will get back to conquering all in their path and collecting 90-100 points.

The margin for error will be extremely small, so dropping points early in the season would put Real in a tough position. Two years ago, they lost 2-1 to Getafe on Matchday 2 and then 1-0 to Sevilla on Matchday 4. And that was after a 1-1 draw with Valencia in the opener.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Madrid went unbeaten from Matchday 23 on, with 13 wins and three draws. However, they still finished 15 points back of Barcelona.

Compare that to 2011-12, when Real Madrid registered 100 points and won La Liga by nine points. Through the first 15 matches of the season, they dropped eight out of a possible 45 points, and then after that, six out of the next 69.

Some other intriguing matches come later in the season against the mid-to-lower-table sides. In the past, those kinds of fixtures have cost Madrid the title.

In 2010-11, they lost to Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza. Barcelona won the title by four points.

This past season, Madrid's draws against Valencia and Valladolid and the subsequent loss to Celta Vigo essentially cost them the title.

Real Madrid don't often fail to win, but when they do, it's always extremely costly.

Ancelotti should be able to ride the wave of momentum created by last year's Champions League triumph. As long as Los Blancos don't have too many early hiccups, they'll be in pole position in La Liga.