Barcelona Schedule 2015-16: La Liga Fixtures Released

Barcelona’s defence of the La Liga title will begin with a testing trip to the San Mames to face Athletic Club on the weekend commencing August 22.

The full 2015/16 schedule was announced on Tuesday by La Liga's official website:

Date	Fixture
August 23	Athletic Club - FC Barcelona
August 30	FC Barcelona - Malaga CF
September 13	Atletico Madrid - FC Barcelona
September 20	FC Barcelona - Levante UD
September 23	RC Celta - FC Barcelona
September 27	FC Barcelona - UD Las Palmas
October 4	Sevilla FC - FC Barcelona
October 18	FC Barcelona - Rayo Vallecano
October 25	FC Barcelona - SD Eibar
October 28	Getafe CF - FC Barcelona
November 1	FC Barcelona - Villarreal CF
November 8	Real Madrid - FC Barcelona
November 22	FC Barcelona - Real Sociedad
November 29	Valencia CF - FC Barcelona
December 6	FC Barcelona - RC Deportivo
December 13	R. Sporting - FC Barcelona
December 20	FC Barcelona - Real Betis
January 3	RCD Espanyol - FC Barcelona
January 10	FC Barcelona - Granada CF
January 17	FC Barcelona - Athletic Club
January 24	Malaga CF - FC Barcelona
January 31	FC Barcelona - Atletico Madrid
February 7	Levante UD - FC Barcelona
February 14	FC Barcelona - RC Celta
February 21	UD Las Palmas - FC Barcelona
February 28	FC Barcelona - Sevilla FC
March 2	Rayo Vallecano - FC Barcelona
March 6	SD Eibar - FC Barcelona
March 13	FC Barcelona - Getafe CF
March 20	Villarreal CF - FC Barcelona
April 3	FC Barcelona - Real Madrid
April 10	Real Sociedad - FC Barcelona
April 17	FC Barcelona - Valencia CF
April 20	RC Deportivo - FC Barcelona
April 24	FC Barcelona - R. Sporting
May 1	Real Betis - FC Barcelona
May 8	FC Barcelona - RCD Espanyol

The games every Cule looks out for among the fresh fixtures are the encounters against Real Madrid, and the first Clasico match of the season will take place at Santiago Bernabeu on November 8. The second will be at the Camp Nou on April 3.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Barcelona’s other major fixture is against city rivals Espanyol. The first clash of the season between the two will be at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat on January 3.

The Catalonians have already bolstered their squad for next season with the captures of Aleix Vidal from Sevilla and Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid. They won’t don the iconic colours until January because of Barca’s transfer sanctions, but Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell ran the rule over what Vidal will add when he joins up with the Catalan club:

This Barcelona team face a massive challenge in 2015-16. Last season they swept all before them, adding the Copa del Rey and the Champions League to the domestic title. Matching that haul would be an unprecedented achievement, but in reality, even for this awesome outfit, doing so would take some effort.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Then again, with this attacking trio in situ, the Blaugrana look capable of just about anything, per 101 Great Goals:

What could potentially pose something of a hindrance is the Copa America. While Luis Suarez’s international ban meant he didn’t feature for Uruguay, both Lionel Messi and Neymar played for Argentina and Brazil, respectively.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Given just how many games each has already played in 2015, Barca will be keen for these world-class attacking stars to get some replenishment time ahead of the new campaign. But with the major tournament in the offseason, it’s going to be intriguing to see how sharp these superstars are come the opening clash with Athletic.

There will also be a major void to fill. While he didn’t feature quite as prominently in Barcelona’s treble-winning season, Xavi Hernandez’s departure will be a massive miss for the Blaugrana given the qualities he adds both on and off the field.

David Ramos/Getty Images

As noted by BreatheSport, the midfield metronome enjoyed an extraordinary amount of success during his distinguished Barca career:

"

Xavi’s trophy cabinet: UCL  La Liga  Copa del Rey  Club World Cups  Euros  World Cup  pic.twitter.com/fKmI6mmgnU

— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) June 7, 2015"

From a Barcelona standpoint, hopefully there are some La Masia graduates capable of coming in and taking their chance, just as Xavi himself did as a youngster. Players like Sergi Roberto, Sergi Samper and Rafinha Alcantara in particular should see the legend’s departure as a chance to make a major impression themselves.

Either way, it promises to be another enthralling campaign in Catalonia, and with that majestic front three on the books, there will be no shortage of viewers across the globe whenever Barcelona take to the field for a Liga encounter. At this juncture, it's tough to see any side capable of wresting the title out of their grasp.