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Real Madrid Schedule 2018-19: La Liga Fixtures Released
July 24, 2018
Real Madrid begin La Liga life after Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane on August 19 with a meeting with Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu.
New manager Julen Lopetegui will have his first Clasico showdown of the campaign against Barcelona on October 28 at the Camp Nou before the return fixture on March 3.
Los Blancos will face local rivals Atletico Madrid on September 30 at the Bernabeu and on February 10 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Week 1 Fixtures:
Week 38 Fixtures:
For the fixture list in full visit the Seleccion Espanola website.
Madrid Set for Campaign of Transition
Having enjoyed so much stability in Zidane's three seasons at the club, Madrid embark on a new era under the guidance of Lopetegui.
The new manager took over at Real after he was sacked as Spain manager on the eve of the FIFA World Cup having agreed to become Los Blancos boss. Now the pressure will be on him to get this illustrious group of players to perform.
Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC believes Lopetegui may find things difficult in the early stages of his tenure:
Taking over at Madrid was always going to be tough, especially following on from Zidane, who steered the team to three UEFA Champions League wins in succession. But without Ronaldo, that challenge has become even tougher.
After all, the 33-year-old was such an important player for Real in his nine seasons at the club, and Ronaldo showcased an incredible appetite for big games in recent years. Not having him leading the line will leave a massive void to fill in the capital.
As noted by journalist Sam Pilger, even with one of the best goalscorers of all time within their ranks, Real have found it tough in La Liga:
Last term they were slow out of the traps and lost ground to Barcelona early on, with manager Ernesto Valverde enjoying a sensational start to life at the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana are expected to be strong again this season.
Atletico Madrid, who held off their city rivals to finish in second spot last season, have also enjoyed an excellent summer of recruitment, as Scouted Football pointed out recently:
Scouted Football @ScoutedFtblAtlético Madrid have had a very impressive summer so far: • Signed: Rodri (21) • Signed: Thomas Lemar (22) • Renewed: Antoine Griezmann • Renewed: Lucas Hernández (22) • Renewed: José Giménez (23) Retaining talent, then adding even more in key positions. https://t.co/JgwkjCL4mW
It'll be a huge ask for Real to reel in Barcelona this year, while Atletico also appear set to be a force at the top of La Liga once again in 2018-19.
Even so, Ronaldo 's departure will present opportunities for other players to seize the role of attacking talisman, including the likes of Isco, Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale. Yet, La Liga success may be beyond them this term given the changes that have preceded the season.