News
DOM 11.08.2024
The 10 fixtures of Matchday 1 are spread out over five days, for a true spectacle of football which includes Valencia CF vs FC Barcelona, one of the blockbuster fixtures of any season.
The very first game of the campaign takes place in Bilbao, when Athletic Club and Getafe CF get the 2024/25 season up and running at 19:00 CEST. All eyes will be on Nico Williams, one of the stars of Euro 2024 and one of the most dynamic players in LALIGA EA SPORTS. He’ll look to get on the scoresheet in the opening game, as Ernesto Valverde’s side aim to go even better than last season’s fifth-place finish.
The opening night also features Real Betis vs Girona FC, a clash between two teams who finished inside the European qualification positions last term. There has been a mini overhaul of the Girona FC squad during the summer, so it’ll be fascinating to see if Míchel’s side can reach the heights of last season.
The action moves to Vigo on Friday night, as RC Celta and Deportivo Alavés meet in the night’s early game. It could be the re-debut of Borja Iglesias, as he has returned to the Galician club in this summer’s transfer window.
UD Las Palmas vs Sevilla FC follows and, thanks to a quirk of the schedule, new Sevilla FC coach García Pimienta will be making his debut with Los Rojiblancos at the stadium where he spent the previous three years. Meanwhile, Luis Carrión takes his seat in the dugout for Los Amarillos for the first time.
Another managerial debut will occur at El Sadar on Saturday, as the Vicente Moreno era begins at CA Osasuna. They host newly promoted CD Leganés in a Saturday evening clash in Pamplona, with the capital city side returning to the top tier for the first time since 2020.
Then, at 21:30 CEST on Saturday night, there is a huge game at Mestalla. It’s Valencia CF vs FC Barcelona, which is always one of the top games of any LALIGA EA SPORTS season. For it to come as early as Matchday 1 is unique and football fans around the world will be tuning in to see how Barça perform in new coach Hansi Flick’s competitive debut.
Two more matches follow on Sunday, the first of which is Real Sociedad vs Rayo Vallecano. Although last season was an up-and-down campaign for the side from Vallecas, they did draw both of their clashes with La Real and will look to pick up another point or more to begin 2024/25. Meanwhile, for the Basque side, they know they need to improve their home form this term after winning only eight league games at the Reale Arena last campaign.
The second game on Sunday, kicking off at 21:30 CEST, is RCD Mallorca vs Real Madrid and it could be the highly anticipated debut of Kylian Mbappé in the white shirt. The Frenchman has arrived at a team that were already crowned champions of Spain and of Europe in 2023/24, so Los Blancos will be a force to be reckoned with this term too.
Matchday 1 concludes with a pair of fixtures on Monday, one of which is between two of the newly promoted sides. Real Valladolid, who finished second in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, and RCD Espanyol, who came up through the playoffs, will meet at the Estadio José Zorilla to mark their return to the elite level.
Then, the round concludes with an intriguing duel between Villarreal CF and Atlético de Madrid. Although Atleti won when they visited the Estadio de la Cerámica last season, this has historically been a tough ground for them as they’ve triumphed there just four times during the Diego Simeone era. The Argentinian coach will know that starting with three points is key for his side’s title ambitions, as Los Colchoneros look to shake up this season’s title race.
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