Can Los Blancos Take the Crown Back in Spain?
Spanish football’s two giants are preparing to go head-to-head once again, with Barcelona entering the Spanish 2026/27 league season as defending champions and Real Madrid determined to bring the trophy back to the Bernabeu.
Barcelona finished eight points clear of their great rivals last season, but Real Madrid have responded with a major summer rebuild and the return of Jose Mourinho as head coach. That sets up what could be an exceptionally tight battle between two squads packed with attacking quality.
Behind them, Atlético Madrid will expect to challenge near the top, while Villarreal and Real Betis should again have ambitions of securing CL football. At the opposite end of the table, promoted Racing Santander, Deportivo La Coruna and Malaga face the considerable challenge of adapting to the top flight.
Read our preview of the French 26/27 season here.
Read part 1 of our Italian 26/27 season here, with part 2 and part 3 also available.
Read part 1 of our PL 26/27 season here, with part 2 and part 3 also out.
Real Madrid strengthen for another title challenge
Finishing eight points behind Barcelona represented a disappointing campaign by Real Madrid’s standards, and the response during the summer has been emphatic.
Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Espi and Yan Diomande have all arrived, giving Mourinho a squad with greater depth and options across the pitch.
There are also reasons to believe several existing players can improve on last season. Jude Bellingham was not consistently at his best during the 2025/26 campaign, but an excellent tournament this summer with England should send him back to Madrid full of confidence.
Vinicius Junior’s contract renewal removes another potential distraction, while Kylian Mbappe remains the most prolific striker in Spanish football. Mbappe has finished as the leading league scorer in each of his first two seasons in Spain, scoring 31 league goals in 2024/25 before adding another 25 last season.
With Mourinho back in charge and an extensively strengthened squad at his disposal, Real Madrid appear better equipped to sustain a title challenge this time around.
Barcelona’s attack takes on a new look
Barcelona are hardly standing still.
Robert Lewandowski’s departure represents the end of an era in attack, but Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have joined Hansi Flick’s squad, while Manchester City midfielder Rodri is another major name being strongly linked with a move to Catalonia.
Above all, Barcelona have Lamine Yamal.
Still extraordinarily young for a player carrying so much responsibility, Yamal scored 16 league goals last season and continues to develop into the central figure of Barcelona’s attack. Alongside Raphinha and Ferran Torres, he gives Flick plenty of firepower even without Lewandowski.
Barcelona proved last season that they can finish comfortably ahead of Real Madrid over 38 games. The question is whether they can do it again against a considerably reinforced rival.
Atlético, Betis and Villarreal battle for CL places
There should be plenty happening behind the expected top two. Villarreal were the best of the rest last season, finishing third and three points ahead of Atlético Madrid. Diego Simeone’s side will be expected to respond, though, and Atlético remain the most obvious candidate to capitalise should either Real Madrid or Barcelona encounter serious problems.
Real Betis could be the more interesting outsider. Manuel Pellegrini guided Betis to fifth last season, and their impressive pre-season victory against PL champions Arsenal offered another indication of what this team is capable of producing.
Athletic Bilbao should remain in the European conversation, while Celta Vigo cannot be discounted. Real Sociedad are another potential improver after an unusually low 10th-place finish, particularly if Mikel Oyarzabal carries his excellent international form into the domestic season.
Our expectation is for Atlético to claim third, with Betis pushing Villarreal hard for the remaining CL position.
Mbappe the man to beat in the Pichichi race
There is an obvious starting point when assessing the leading scorer market. Mbappe has won the scoring title in both seasons since joining Real Madrid and starts 2026/27 chasing a third consecutive Pichichi Trophy.
His 56 league goals across those two campaigns demonstrate why he is the clear favourite.
Yamal’s 16 goals last season make him an intriguing challenger, particularly if his development continues at its current rate. Atlético’s Julian Alvarez, Vinicius, Raphinha and Ferran Torres are other credible candidates.
Ante Budimir continues to provide Osasuna with a reliable source of goals, while Oyarzabal’s excellent summer suggests the Real Sociedad captain could enjoy a productive campaign.
Nevertheless, opposing Mbappe requires a leap of faith. If he remains fit, another season around or beyond the 25-goal mark looks entirely realistic.
Promoted trio face a fight for survival
Last season demonstrated just how quickly the relegation picture can change. Only five points separated 19th-placed Girona and 10th-placed Real Sociedad, while Mallorca went down despite finishing level on 42 points with both Osasuna and Levante.
The three newcomers therefore enter a league offering little margin for error. Racing Santander arrive as Segunda Division champions, with Deportivo La Coruna following them up automatically after finishing second. Malaga earned promotion through the playoffs.
There is attacking talent among the promoted sides. Malaga’s Chupe scored 24 times in the second tier last season, while Racing’s Andres Martin struck 23.
Replicating those numbers against top division defences will be considerably harder. Alaves, Elche, Osasuna and Levante could all become involved in the relegation fight, and clubs such as Espanyol, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano cannot consider themselves completely safe before a ball has been kicked.
Even so, the promoted trio appear particularly vulnerable to the substantial increase in quality they will encounter.
Betsmith prediction
Real Madrid look capable of reversing last season’s outcome. Barcelona remain an outstanding side and Yamal could reach another level, but Madrid’s summer recruitment has addressed several areas of weakness. Adding players of the calibre of Konate, Cucurella, Dumfries and Bernardo Silva to a squad already containing Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham gives Mourinho exceptional resources.
The title race could go deep into the spring, but Real Madrid are our narrow choice to finish ahead of Barcelona.
Atlético should return to the top three, while Real Betis can seriously challenge Villarreal for fourth.
At the bottom, we expect the step from the Segunda Division to prove particularly unforgiving for the newcomers.
Predicted champions: Real Madrid
Top goalscorer: Kylian Mbappe
Top four: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis
Relegation: Malaga, Deportivo La Coruna, Racing Santander
Recommended bet
Real Madrid to win the league at 2.10.
Madrid were eight points short last season, but their summer recruitment combined with Mourinho’s return significantly changes the picture. Barcelona should push them all the way, yet Real Madrid appear to have strengthened more substantially and have the squad depth to regain the Spanish title.
Last Updated: 21.08.2026
Odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
