Barca to begin La Liga title defence against Racing
Barcelona will begin their bid for a third consecutive La Liga title at Racing Santander on the final weekend of August, the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) said on Tuesday.
|Last Updated: Jul 21, 2010, 09:26 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Madrid: Barcelona will begin their bid for a third consecutive La Liga title at Racing Santander on the final weekend of August, the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) said on Tuesday.
Barca`s arch rivals Real Madrid, who finished three points behind the Catalans in second last season, and new coach Jose Mourinho face a potentially tricky trip to Real Mallorca, fifth last campaign and beaten only three times at their Ono Estadi.The opening "Clasico" between Barca and Real will be at Barca`s Nou Camp stadium on the weekend of November 27/28 and they face each other again at Real`s Bernabeu arena the weekend of April 16/17.
The gulf between wealthy Real and Barca, first and second in the latest ranking of the world`s richest clubs by accounting firm Deloitte, and their financially struggling La Liga rivals is likely to remain at least as wide in the 2010/11 season.
Valencia, who finished third last campaign, 25 points behind Real and 28 behind Barca, have sold their two best players, striker David Villa joining Barca and midfielder David Silva moving to English club Manchester City.
Barca have also snapped up versatile Brazilian midfielder Adriano Correia from Sevilla, who finished fourth, and are chasing Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, a former Barca youth player.Real are some way from matching their unprecedented outlay of around a quarter of a billion euros (USD 323 million) in last year`s close season but have strengthened their squad with Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, promising teenage midfielder Sergio Canales and Getafe midfielder Pedro Leon.
Mourinho, who joined Real after leading Inter Milan to a treble of European Champions League and domestic cup and league, is also hoping to bring Inter`s Brazilian fullback Maicon to the Spanish capital, according to local media.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.