After a dramatic week which included arrests in the RFEF and the uncertainty that comes with it, the draw for next season's La Liga fixtures has finally been made. Follow us as we discover all the fixtures and corresponding dates for the upcoming La Liga campaign.
This time, Angel Maria Villa, President of the Spanish Football Federation, was understandably not present, having been arrested this week as part of an anti-corruption investigation.
The new season will get underway the weekend of August 19 and will end on May 20. There will also be four sets of mid-week fixtures (September 20, December 20, February 28 and April 18.)
Due to next summer's World Cup in Russia, Spanish football has had to make some minor changes to its schedule to accommodate football's biggest competition. For example, the Spanish Cup final will now take place on April 21, the same time as gameweek 34 in La Liga and just 3 days before the Champions League semi-finals. Speaking of the Champions League, the final of club football's greatest prize will now take place on May 9, meaning top Spanish clubs will barely have time to catch their breath.
As mentioned, the season will get underway on August 19, though one should note that Atletico Madrid and Villarreal have asked La Liga to start their respective campaigns with 2 games away from home to give them time to put the finisheing touches on their new stadiums. This means that they will not get chance to play at their new homes until gameweek 3.
Real Madrid, current La Liga champions get their campaign underway away to Deportivo whilst Barca will face Real Betis at home. Atletico will play Eibar at the Wanda Metropolitano
As every season, there will be plenty of big games to look forward to throughout the season. The first 'Clásico' of the new La Liga season, for example will take place on December 20 at the Bernabéu, with the reverse fixture taking place on May 6.
Another game to watch out for is the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico, games between the two seldom disappoint and fans will be able to see the pair clash on November 19 at the Wanda Metropolitano and April 8 at the Bernabéu.
So, it promises to be a packed schedule for teams, with barely time to catch their breath before next summer's World Cup. The game-by-game fixtures can be found on our website.
Here are the games that will take place on the opening weekend of the 2017/18 La Liga season.
Deportivo V Real Madrid
Atlético V Eibar
Valencia V Las Palmas
Athletic Club V Getafe
Sevilla V Espanyol
Málaga V Eibar
Barcelona V Betis
Celta V Real Sociedad
Villarreal V Levante
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