Barcelona Schedule 2017-18: La Liga Fixtures Released
Barcelona will host Real Betis in their first game of the 2017-18 La Liga season, it was confirmed on Friday.
The fixtures for the upcoming term have been released, meaning new Blaugrana boss Ernesto Valverde can begin plotting the team's campaign. La Liga provided the opening round:
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According to ESPN, the season will begin the weekend of August 20. Barca also provided a look at their first five fixtures:
Barcelona will be away from home for the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid on December 20, with the return fixture set for May 6 at the Camp Nou:
Below are the team's fixtures in full courtesy of La Liga's official website:
20 Aug 2017: Real Betis (H)
27 Aug 2017: Alaves (A)
10 Sep 2017: Espanyol (H)
17 Sep 2017: Getafe (A)
20 Sep 2017: Eibar (H)
24 Sep 2017: Girona (A)
01 Oct 2017: Las Palmas (H)
15 Oct 2017: Atletico Madrid (A)
22 Oct 2017: Malaga (H)
29 Oct 2017: Athletic Club (A)
05 Nov 2017: Sevilla (H)
19 Nov 2017: Leganes (A)
26 Nov 2017: Valencia (A)
03 Dec 2017: Celta Vigo (H)
10 Dec 2017: Villarreal (A)
17 Dec 2017: Deportivo La Coruna (H)
20 Dec 2017: Real Madrid (A)
07 Jan 2018: Levante (H)
14 Jan 2018: Real Sociedad (A)
21 Jan 2018: Real Betis (A)
28 Jan 2018: Alaves (H)
04 Feb 2018: Espanyol (A)
11 Feb 2018: Getafe (H)
18 Feb 2018: Eibar (A)
25 Feb 2018: Girona (H)
28 Feb 2018: Las Palmas (A)
04 Mar 2018: Atletico Madrid (H)
11 Mar 2018: Malaga (A)
18 Mar 2018: Athletic Club (H)
01 Apr 2018: Sevilla (A)
08 Apr 2018: Leganes (H)
15 Apr 2018: Valencia (H)
18 Apr 2018: Celta Vigo (A)
22 Apr 2018: Villarreal (H)
29 Apr 2018: Deportivo La Coruna (A)
06 May 2018: Real Madrid (H)
13 May 2018: Levante (A)
20 May 2018: Real Sociedad (H)
Barcelona Looking to Regain Top Spot
Having won back-to-back La Liga titles in 2015 and 2016, Barcelona's crown slipped last season, with rivals Real Madrid confirmed as champions on the final day of the campaign.
In truth, the fact that the title race went to Week 38 flattered the Blaugrana, as it was rare Real looked to be in danger of losing out on the prize. The gap between the two sides feels more significant than the three points it ended up as.
Valverde is the man who will be tasked with overhauling the capital club. The former Barcelona midfielder and Athletic Bilbao boss steps in to replace the departed Luis Enrique, and while he has talent in abundance to call upon, there are some big issues that need addressing during his tenure.
As noted by Goal's Ben Hayward, the manager needs to be aided with some decent work in the transfer market, too:
There were times last season when Barcelona were cut apart by opponents, most notably in the UEFA Champions League. However, during the run-in, the Blaugrana were also ragged in losses to Malaga and Deportivo La Coruna, with their lack of depth making for a jaded squad.
It'll be fascinating to see how aggressive Barcelona are in the transfer window prior to the start of the season with that in mind, although with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez on their books, they will always have the firepower to win football matches.
Per Marca's Jason Pettigrove, since Suarez joined the club three seasons ago, the trio have been prolific:
Messi, in particular, was outstanding last term, putting together one of his finest individual campaigns despite Barca's struggles overall.
The 30-year-old singlehandedly hauled his side through games in 2016-17, and his last-gasp winner at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Clasico was a moment to savour for Cules.
What is crucial, though, is that Barcelona don't continue to use Messi's magnificence as a crutch as they did in 2016-17.
By contrast, Real Madrid have built a remarkable squad with class in all sections of the pitch; Valverde will need to work some magic if he is going to steer his new side back to the summit of La Liga at their expense
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