LA LIGA

Real Madrid have Xabi Alonso as boss, Barça are back at Camp Nou - Spain's eternal duel promises to be even more thrilling

- Michael Yokhin

WHAT'S CHANGED?

Real Madrid are opening a new era with Xabi Alonso. The 43-year-old Basque played for the club between 2009 and 2014, and he knows it inside out. As a major former star of the club, he'll be respected just like Zinedine Zidane before him. Unlike Zizou, who was originally appointed in 2016 without any previous experience, Alonso arrives after a very successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen. He was considered the best possible option to replace Carlo Ancelotti - it’s a change that could potentially define La Liga for a long time.

Will he be capable of finishing top in his debut season like Hansi Flick did last term, though? Barcelona are the new team to beat after a magnificent campaign of pure attacking football, and will aim to continue their magnificent momentum at the renovated Camp Nou, following two campaigns playing games at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Barça’s home has been scheduled to reopen for a preseason game on August 10, although it’s not yet ready to reach its full new capacity of 105,000.

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