5 Key Games for Real Madrid in the 1st Half of 2015-16 Liga Season
So we're almost there: The 2015-16 Liga season is almost upon us. What a season it's shaping up to be.
At the top, we'll have the always-compelling battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Behind them, Atletico Madrid are poised to make a strong challenge following an impressive summer. Valencia and Sevilla are also making ground, Villarreal have strengthened, Athletic Bilbao look ready for a hot start, Real Sociedad are almost certain to improve and the relegation fight will be as intriguing as ever, full of twists and turns and could involve as many as 10 teams.
But inevitably, the primary focus will be at the top, on Real Madrid and Barcelona—two footballing behemoths whose battle is the biggest on the planet.
For Madrid, it's imperative to hit the ground running, to throw down a gauntlet to a Barcelona side that took all before it in 2014-15.
So which are the key games for Los Blancos? Which clashes in the first half of the season will prove pivotal in Real Madrid's hunt for silverware?
Across the following slides, we pick out five.
Note: In this case, the first half of the season has been defined as the period up to the winter break. Also, the dates for some games are yet to be confirmed by the LFP, which is reflected by the way some of the dates are presented here.
Vs. Espanyol, Jornada 3, September 12
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I know what you're thinking: "Espanyol? A key game? Really?"
In isolation, it normally wouldn't be, given the Catalans posed few problems for Real Madrid last season. But it's the broader picture for the opening stages of the campaign that makes this match vitally important for Los Blancos.
On the same day, Real Madrid's two main title rivals, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, meet at the Vicente Calderon in the season's first heavyweight encounter. At least one of them will drop points.
Additionally, Barcelona will enter that clash after an exhaustive early-season stretch that will have featured the arduous UEFA Super Cup meeting with Sevilla and a trio of matches against the energy-sapping Athletic Bilbao—two in the Spanish Super Cup and one in La Liga.
Thus, the defending champions face a far more difficult schedule than Real in the opening weeks of 2015-16, meaning Madrid's meeting with Espanyol at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat could potentially be an opportunity to establish an early lead in the title race.
Vs. Athletic Bilbao, Jornada 5, September 23
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When Real Madrid met Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu at the beginning of last season, the Basques were a mess. At the back, their high line was disastrous without pressure on the ball in midfield, and in attack, they looked utterly toothless.
But by the time the return match at the San Mames arrived, Athletic had transformed back into the 2013-14 Athletic: intense, feisty and hard-working, squeezing the life out of Real Madrid with their extreme pressing. And by the looks of it, that is them right now.
Indeed, their 4-0 thrashing of Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Friday was an indication that Ernesto Valverde's men will be a real handful this season. With irrepressible energy, they harassed Barcelona into submission in midfield, forcing turnovers again and again, breaking with speed into the spaces in behind.
Admittedly, Barcelona looked exhausted after their extra-time victory over Sevilla earlier that week, not to mention the thousands of miles they racked up in pre-season. But still, the San Mames looks as though it will be among the hardest venues to visit this season, and Real Madrid will hope they can emerge unscathed from their early trip to the Basque Country in September.
El Derbi Madrileno, Jornada 7, October 3/4
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"The never-ending derby," it was dubbed by Marca last season, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid doing battle a staggering eight times in one campaign.
Perhaps more remarkable, though, was the scoreline between the teams: Atletico Madrid 4-1 Real Madrid, with three draws. Almost on their own, Atleti destroyed Real's season.
Indeed, Diego Simeone's men tormented their more glamorous rivals last term, their physical and in-your-face method unsettling Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded outfit. In February, Atleti hammered Real so comprehensively it practically wiped out the 14 years of winless pain they suffered against Real from 1999 to 2013.
Thus, in almost unprecedented fashion, the dynamic of the capital battle has seen a colossal shift. And for Real, that needs to start reversing. Quickly.
Vs. Sevilla, Jornada 11, November 7/8
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When Real Madrid travelled south to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in May, it had been 13 months since anyone had beaten Sevilla at home and 14 months since anyone had been them at home in the league.
In all, the Andalusians had hosted 34 opponents in that time and not lost once.
Three weeks earlier, Barcelona had looked poised to snap that streak, leading 2-0 after half an hour. But even the mighty Catalans couldn't overcome Sevilla, dropping two points as Unai Emery's men came storming back in the second half.
It was the only league game Barcelona didn't win in blistering three-month stretch.
Thus, Real Madrid's 3-2 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was extremely significant and, at the same time, showed how difficult it is to triumph there, Sevilla hitting back again and again, never letting Real breathe easy.
Another three points there will be invaluable.
El Clasico, Jornada 12, November 21/22
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It doesn't need any explaining. It's the Clasico.
It's Real Madrid's biggest game. It's Barcelona's biggest game. It's Spain's biggest game. It's Europe's biggest game.
It's football's biggest game.
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