La Liga Schedule 2016-17: Official List of Fixtures Released for New Season
La Liga champions Barcelona will begin the 2016-17 season with a clash against Real Betis at the Camp Nou, it was confirmed on Friday.
Their eternal rivals, Real Madrid, will take on Real Sociedad at the Anoeta on the opening day, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will begin their pursuit of the title with a home game against new boys Alaves, per the official La Liga Twitter feed. The opening weekend of the season will be August 21.
The first Clasico match of the season between Barca and Real will come on December 3 or 4 at the Camp Nou, with the second at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 22 or 23, per AS. La Liga's Twitter account confirmed the games will be played during Matchday 14 and Matchday 33:
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"#ElClasico in #LaLiga 2016/17:
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M14 Real Madrid v FC Barcelona
M33 FC Barcelona v Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/oDnwdDyzHi
Here are the games to be played on Week 1 of the campaign and a closer look at some games to savour in the upcoming campaign.
| Real Sociedad | vs. | Real Madrid |
| Atletico Madrid | vs. | Alaves |
| Sporting Gijon | vs. | Athletic Club |
| Barcelona | vs. | Real Betis |
| Deportivo la Coruna | vs. | Eibar |
| Valencia | vs. | Las Palmas |
| Granada | vs. | Villarreal |
| Sevilla | vs. | Espanyol |
| Malaga | vs. | Osasuna |
| Celta Vigo | vs. | Leganes |
Click here for the full schedule of fixtures for the 2016-17 season.
Must-See Matches This Year
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona
Bleacher Report UK issued a reminder of the Clasico fixture dates on Instagram:
Rafael Benitez's reign at Real Madrid was doomed following the manner of his team's humiliating defeat in this fixture last year. Los Blancos hosted their rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, November 21, in what proved to be the beginning of the end for the former Liverpool manager.
A comprehensive 4-0 defeat saw Real outplayed, outthought and outfought by Luis Enrique's men in their own backyard. After just seven months in charge at the club he previously played for, Benitez was removed from his position.
The magnitude of the contest between these perennial rivals increases every year, as the two giants of Spanish football continue to move further away from the majority of the chasing pack.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are likely to come head-to-head once again with Real's own attacking triumvirate of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. The talent on show for both teams in El Clasico has arguably never been higher, with last year's La Liga winners looking to again topple the UEFA Champions League holders.
With the two Spanish heavyweights separated by just one point on the final day of the season in 2015-16, the result of this clash could prove critical in the race for the title.
Valencia vs. Villarreal
Valencia endured a season to forget last season, as they finished 12th in the standings following a disappointing campaign. Four head coaches took charge of the club during an ill-fated year, which included the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo, Voro, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville and Pako Ayestaran.
In contrast, Villarreal continued their progression in the top tier following two sixth-place finishes as they secured a spot in next year's Champions League after finishing fourth.
Ayestaran will be desperate to help return Valencia to a respectable position this time around after the team's worst finish since 1988, per the club's official website.
With Valencia eager to bounce back immediately and Villarreal faced with the extra workload of European football commitments, it will be fascinating to see how the two clubs' fortunes fare throughout the 2016-17 contest.
Blessed with talented performers, albeit lacking a consistent centre-forward, Valencia underperformed badly and should be challenging for a place in Europe when the new season gets under way.
Another disappointing season will set back the club considerably, and Villarreal should prove fine competition to compare themselves to when the season kicks off.
