2026-27 LaLiga Predictor begins this weekend

A fresh LaLiga campaign gets underway this week and though we have an unusual Round 1 with just a handful of fixtures due to so many teams having their opening game postponed because of Spain's success at the World Cup this summer, there's a lot to look forward to.

Barcelona successfully defended their title last season, sealing the crown with a hugely satisfying victory over arch rivals Real Madrid, so Hansi Flick is now targeting a third consecutive league win.

Last season, those two were joined by Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis in the top 5 so they'll be Spain's representatives in the Champions League this season, while Celta Vigo (6th) will be joined by Real Sociedad in the Europa League as La Real won last year's Copa del Rey.

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The 2026-27 season

⚪️ After a calamitous 2025-26 campaign, Real Madrid have decided to bring back Jose Mourinho as they look to deny Barcelona a third successive title. With plenty of time still left in the window, Madrid have already signed several players for Mourinho to work with, including Ivorian winger Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig for a reported initial fee of €125 million.



The team I've sketched out above doesn't even include Bernardo Silva who has signed following his departure from Manchester City.

That is of course an absolutely terrifying front three with about as much pace as it's possible to have in a forward line, but Real Madrid still lack a midfielder that can put their foot on the ball and control a game in my opinion. For months, we've all expected that to be Rodri, but reports now suggest that the World Cup Golden Ball winner might be heading to Barca instead.

🔴🔵 Honestly, if Barcelona land Rodri, I think a third consecutive title is a near certainty. Flick is still in need of a number 9 following Robert Lewandowski's departure and Barca have been linked with Atleti's Julian Alvarez for ages, but they're going to score quite a lot of goals regardless through Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin Lopez and co. and it frankly feels unfair that Rodri could be added to the list of midfielders already at the club.

Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have already been signed as wide attacking players that could do a job centrally if required.

🆕 Away from the title race, we should see a good battle for the European places and let's not forget that last season's relegation battle was an all-timer involving over half of the division. This year's newly promoted clubs are all iconic too, with Racing Santander, Deportivo A Coruna and Malaga coming up from Segunda.

🇪🇺 Betis were a great watch last season but I worry that a place in the Champions League has come a little early for them and that could well hinder their domestic performance, though it's worth noting that Villarreal were absolutely terrible in the Champions League last season and ended up prioritising LaLiga to finish 3rd. Marcelino has now departed the Yellow Submarine after two very strong full domestic seasons, and Villarreal will be coached by Inigo Perez who looks like a great successor having led Rayo Vallecano to last season's Europa Conference League final vs. Crystal Palace.

👥 Perez is one of a few new managers. He's been replaced by Benat San Jose at Rayo and I think Edin Terzic could have a good first season with Athletic Club who have a schedule free of Europe this year, while Osasuna will hope to improve under Luis Ramis after a very disappointing 17th-place finish last time out. At Elche, Eder Sarabia will be a tough man to follow, so I'm intrigued to see if Martin Anselmi can keep them away from trouble.

📉 Talking of trouble, given their recent seasons, you have to worry for Sevilla who still just don't really seem to have any money to spend despite a few sales this summer so they could well be caught by the newly promoted clubs if they don't improve.

The same could be said about another sleeping giant in Valencia, though there have at least been a couple more exciting additions there and I rate Carlos Corberan highly as a coach. Valencia fans will no doubt think (and certainly hope!) that their neighbours Levante are more likely to go down, and I agree, but Levante were sensational during last season's run-in under Luis Castro so it would be great fun to see that continue into 2026-27.

As last season showed, there's a very fine line between the relegation battle and qualifying for Europe at the moment in LaLiga so we're in for some tough opening picks between many of the lower mid-table sides.

Good luck to you all with your LaLiga picks this season and if you've made it this far down the article, feel free to add your own thoughts on how this season might play out in the comments!