LaLiga season: Barcelona, Real Madrid set for October Clasico

Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to meet in the first Clasico of the 2023-24 LaLiga season on the weekend of Oct. 29 after the fixture list was published on Thursday, with Xavi’s side facing an away trip to Getafe on the opening weekend while Carlo Ancelotti’s men travel to Athletic Club.

Atletico Madrid — who finished in third, just a point behind Real Madrid, last season — begin the season hosting Granada. Real Sociedad, who came in fourth to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in a decade, will play Girona.

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The first Clasico of the season, on matchday 11, will take place in Barcelona, with the return fixture in Madrid taking place on the weekend of April 21.

The calendar was released in a draw at the headquarters of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) in Las Rozas, outside Madrid, with the fixture list being picked at random from a set of possible alternatives.

The 2023-24 LaLiga season will get underway on the weekend of Aug. 13 and conclude on the weekend of May 26, 2024.

Most matches will be played on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, with some rounds being played in midweek. Kickoff times will be chosen by LaLiga at a later date.

Champions Barcelona will play their home games for 2023-24 at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, with Spotify Camp Nou stadium being rebuilt.

They will start the season playing Getafe, Cadiz and Villarreal, while Madrid face Athletic Club, Almeria and Celta Vigo in their opening fixtures, all taking place away from the Bernabeu as work continues there.

Madrid will travel to Atletico in the first Madrid derby of the season on the weekend of Sept. 24, with the return game at the Bernabeu being played on the weekend of Feb. 4.

Barcelona finished 10 points ahead of Madrid last season as coach Xavi Hernandez led the Catalans to their first league title since 2019.

They were unable to bring Lionel Messi back to the club this summer after he chose to join Inter Miami, but sources told ESPN that they are close to beginning their business with the signing of midfielder Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City on a free transfer.

Madrid have already signed midfielder Jude Bellingham, forward Joselu, playmaker Brahim Diaz and defender Fran Garcia as they look to close the gap on Barca, but lost Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who has joined Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad.

Atletico will look to continue the form which saw them pick up the most points of any LaLiga team in the second half of last season, while Real Sociedad, Villarreal, Real Betis and Europa League winners Sevilla all hope to compete for the top four.

Promoted teams Granada, Las Palmas and Alaves will form part of next season’s First Division, getting underway with games against Atletico, Mallorca and Cadiz respectively.