La Liga 2022-23: A two horse race?
After the World Cup finals in Qatar, football fans all over the world will turn their attention to LaLiga. Debate amongst supporters has already begun over whether or not Barcelona can topple Real Madrid as champions. The first part of the season saw Barcelona top the league with 37 points after 14 matches, while Real Madrid follows with two points less, while the rest of the teams are already 10 or more points behind the leading duo. It’s an open race between the renewed Barcelona of Xavi and the champions of Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in the new La Liga era, without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo!
When it comes to club football in Europe, the Primera Division is one of the most enticing competitions. Those looking for a complete sports experience will find it in the Spanish La Liga. Primera Division offers football at the highest level every week. Football with finesse and passion which attracts on average 27.000 fans per match. Not to mention the millions of football fans in front of the TV sets. Before placing any bets on La Liga games, there are a few things you need to know: the top Spanish professional football league's format, the league’s structure, and of course the most recent news on the participating teams and players.
Barcelona are the favorites now and come with odds 1.52 while Real Madrid comes with odds 2.62 to repeat last year's success.
Young guns on the rise
After one of the most talked-about transfers of 2017, French forward Ousmane Dembélé has seen his career go downhill since moving to Barcelona. But Dembélé has always shown promise in his limited playing time over the years. As a Barcelona player, his career has been derailed by repeated injuries. After an amazing World Cup in Qatar, Ousmane Dembélé could be a crucial cog in Barcelona's title race against Real Madrid. He will have the help of the new rising stars of Barcelona Gavi, Pedri and Ferran Torres.
Besides Dembele, two of his teammates in France national team can also shine in this year’s La Liga. But, with Real Madrid. Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are the new prospects of the Merengues. 22 year old Tchouameni is already a starter not only in the French national team, but in Real Madrid as well, since Casemiro was transferred to Manchester United, while the 20 year old Camavinga is getting his lessons from Luca Modric and Toni Croos. At the same time Carlo Ancelotti can also rely on the Latin American Vinicius Jr. and Federico Valverde which are already considered as experienced stars, although they are just 22 and 24 year old.
La Liga format
There are 20 squads competing in the league. This meant that all 20 teams played each other twice per season. Therefore, there will be a total of 38 matchdays, each consisting of 10 matches. In the event of a season-ending tie, the goal difference between the two teams is prioritized. In the event of a tie, head-to-head results take precedence, followed by goal difference on the specific H2H matches.
La Liga is incredibly competitive not only for the championship title but also for the table positions that lead to European competitions (places 1-4 lead to Champions League, place 5 to Europa League (as well as the Cup Winner] and place 6 leads to UEFA Conference League). In the Primera Division, the minimum objective - avoiding relegation - is also very crucial and leads to epic matches. The last three teams standing at the bottom of the table (positions 18-20) will ultimately be relegated to the Segunda Division.
The Classico
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have consistently been two of the league's top teams. At least twice a year, the two most popular and successful Spanish teams compete against one another. This fierce competition between the two teams extends beyond the realm of sports to include issues of politics and even race. It's the world-famous El Clasico derby, pitting the Madridistas against the Catalans.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid, one of the founding members, has won the Primera Division more times than any other club. Since 1929, the White Ballet has been performing at the top level of Spanish football across the Iberian country. Real Madrid are the most successful club in the history of Spanish professional football, having won 35 league titles. The Merengues took home their first championship trophy in the 1931–1932 season. Before FC Barcelona took over in the 1990s, Real Madrid dominated the Primera Division, winning 14 championships between 1961 and 1980.
Over the past few years, specifically since the year 2000, the trophy has been passed between the two rival cities, with Barcelona often being heralded as the victor. Real Madrid haven't won the Spanish league since the 2016–17 season, but they're back on it in the past couple of years (2019–20, 2021-22). Real Madrid is one of the best teams in Europe. The White Ballet of Madrid has proven themselves as a top-tier club over the course of 14 Champions League titles.
Barcelona
FC Barcelona is not only one of the league's founding teams, but also its first champion in the league's century-long existence. The Catalans have won a total of 26 Spanish Primera Division championships. Bringing back Johann Cruyff in 1990 marked the beginning of the "magical years of Barca," also known as the "Barcelona dream team," during which FC Barcelona won six championships. In the years that followed the turn of the millennium, Barcelona dominated Spanish and European soccer.
Recent La Liga champions:
2021-22: Real Madrid
2020-21: Atletico Madrid
2019-20: Real Madrid
2018-19: Barcelona
2017-18: Barcelona
2016-17: Real Madrid
2015-16: Barcelona
2014-15: Barcelona
2013-14: Atletico Madrid
Who has won the most La Liga titles?
La Liga started almost a century ago, back in 1929. The Spanish football championship originally consisted of ten teams, but from the founding teams only Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona and Real Madrid have managed never to be relegated. The 2021-22 champions Real Madrid has won the title 35 times in total. The last team, besides the Merengues and the Blaugrana to win the league is Atlético Madrid in the 2020–21 season. Barca has celebrated the Double in Spain most times, having won the league and cup in the same year eight times during their history, three more than Athletic Bilbao.
- Real Madrid 35 (24 times runners-up)
- Barcelona 26 (27)
- Atlético Madrid 11 (10)
- Athletic Bilbao 8 (7)
- Valencia 6 (6)
- Real Sociedad 2 (3)
- Deportivo La Coruña 1 (5)
- Sevilla 1 (4)
- Real Betis 1 (0)
- Villarreal 0 (1)