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News

VIE 09.08.2024 | News

Can Mbappé help Real Madrid retain the title? Can Hansi Flick lead Barça to the top? Can Girona FC repeat the magic of last year?

The 94th season of Spanish football’s top division promises to be one of the most thrilling yet. Can Mbappé help Real Madrid retain the title? Can Hansi Flick lead Barça to the top? Can Girona FC repeat the magic of last year?

News

VIE 09.08.2024

It’s almost time for the 2024/25 LALIGA EA SPORTS season to kick off, with opening night coming up on August 15th. There are so many intriguing storylines as the new campaign begins, and not only when looking at the title race. Here, we take a look at a few of the main questions to consider ahead of this new season of the competition.

The champions add a champion

Real Madrid were already the best team in Spain and in Europe last season, winning LALIGA EA SPORTS, the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League. Although Toni Kroos has retired, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad has gotten stronger with the arrivals of World Cup champion Kylian Mbappé and of Brazilian prodigy Endrick, offering the Italian even more firepower up front. Los Blancos, therefore, have all the tools they need to retain their crown as champions of Spain, but it’s worth noting that they haven’t managed to win back-to-back league championships since those of 2006/07 and 2007/08. Maybe 2024/25 is they year they finally win two in a row once again. 

Hansi Flick hopes to lead FC Barcelona back to the top

FC Barcelona expect to be Real Madrid’s main challengers in the title race, and there is optimism around the Catalan club. One reason is the arrival of Hansi Flick, a German coach with bags of experience having won the 2014 World Cup as assistant coach of Germany and having won a treble with Bayern Munich. Another reason for optimism is the fact that Lamine Yamal just keeps getting better and better. The 17-year-old was outstanding as Spain won Euro 2024 and will be a dangerous weapon in every LALIGA EA SPORTS game he plays this season. 

Girona FC inspire teams to dream big

2023/24 was the first time since 2011/12 that a team not named Real Madrid, FC Barcelona or Atlético de Madrid broke into the top three in LALIGA EA SPORTS. That’s because third place went to Girona FC, who took the competition by storm and who qualified for the Champions League for the first time in club history. Can they now combine European nights with domestic consistency and repeat the magic of last year? We’ll soon find out, while it’ll also be interesting to see if the Catalan club’s success can inspire other teams to dream big. Perhaps the likes of Real Betis, Athletic Club, Real Sociedad or Villarreal CF can make a push and try to break into the top four this term.

Sevilla FC turn to García Pimienta

One of the clubs to have regularly finished inside the top four this century is Sevilla FC, but they came 14th last season, their lowest placing this century. In the summer, the Andalusian outfit hired García Pimienta to lead their revival, after his possession football worked so well at UD Las Palmas. With new faces such as Saúl and Kelechi Iheanacho, Los Rojiblancos will hope to compete at the top end of the table this year.

The other clubs with new coaches

FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC aren’t the only clubs entering the new campaign with new coaches on the bench. Replacing García Pimienta at UD Las Palmas is Luis Carrión, who so nearly led Real Oviedo to promotion last season and who was rewarded with his own step up to the top tier anyway. Then, Jagoba Arrasate has departed CA Osasuna to begin a new adventure with RCD Mallorca, while Vicente Moreno has replaced him at El Sadar. There are also a couple of fairly new coaches at RC Celta and Rayo Vallecano, as Claudio Giráldez and Iñigo Pérez, respectively, assumed their roles towards the end of last season and are staying on after leading those teams to survival. 

The return of two derbies

As is the case every season, there are three new clubs in LALIGA EA SPORTS following their promotions from LALIGA HYPERMOTION, namely CD Leganés, Real Valladolid and RCD Espanyol. Two of these sides will be able to contest their most important derby matches once again, as CD Leganés will meet Getafe CF for a southern Madrid derby, while RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona will resume their rivalry and battle for bragging rights in the Catalan capital. 

A league with 19 Euro 2024 champions

There are international superstars across LALIGA EA SPORTS, from Vinícius to Robert Lewandowski to Antoine Griezmann and beyond. And, there are so many major Spanish names too, especially following La Roja’s success at Euro 2024. 19 of the 26 players in Luis de la Fuente’s squad play their football in Spain, representing eight different clubs. The likes of Nico Williams, Mikel Oyarzabal and Robin Le Normand have reached new heights in their careers following the triumph of this summer, and they’ll all be showcasing their talents week in week out in LALIGA EA SPORTS.   

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