Barcelona enter a new season today with same old expectations to win every trophy that the Catalans participate in. The reigning La Liga champions will have a tough task on their hands as the Madrid clubs will be at their throat to snatch the league title from them. Winning La Liga three times consecutively will be a huge achievement as Luis Enrique has installed a brilliant attacking setup at the club along with the traditional possession play.
The La Liga club has invested for the future this summer as they have signed talented youngsters that will build the team's spine in the coming seasons. Barca have bought two midfielders, Denis Suarez courtesy of his buy back clause and Andre Gomes from Valencia.
Two defenders followed as the club signed Samuel Umtiti for a fee in the range of £20 million and Lucas Digne. Both defenders are highly rated and will add depth in defense which was badly needed.
A striker is still to be signed as Luis Enrique has stated that the club will sign a forward as a cover for the deadly trio of MSN. Kevin Gameiro was approached but the former Sevilla man declined the offer as a starting spot is not possible for him at this moment. Gameiro chose Atletico Madrid instead. Paco Alcacer and Luciano Vietto are the targets reported with at least one of them expected to sign in the coming week.
Also read: Barcelona transfer news: Blaugrana draw up three-man striker shortlist
The investment done in this summer infers to a long term planning from the club as the first team squad has many players who won't continue to deliver at this level for a long period. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are 29, Andres Iniesta is 32 and Ivan Rakitic is 28. Andre Gomes and Samuel Umtiti are the future of Barcelona as the club have signed players ideal for their style of play.
Like last campaign, La Liga is going to be a three-horse race with Atletico Madrid emerging as a strong contender because of some shrewd signings and their ability to convince Diego Simeone to lead them in their last season at the Vicente Calderon. Real have not spent any money this summer which can be said as a bit naive from the manager, Zinedine Zidane as the Los Blancos face a transfer ban in the two coming transfer windows.
One thing is for sure that no one would run away with the league as the 2016-17 season promises to be a blockbuster. Let's take a look the round of fixtures Barca will play month by month :
August
Barcelona kick-start their campaign against Real Betis at home which offers an easy start to their title defence. Atheltic Bilbao welcome the champions next which is always a tough place to go. With this being the last game ahead of the first international break, the Catalans must start their campaign well if they want to keep up the pressure on Madrid clubs.
September
The first two games of September are pretty straightforward as Barca face two new entrants in the league, Deportivo Alaves and Leganes. The next home game is a big one as Atletico Madrid come calling which can have huge repercussions on the title race.
This being the first big test of the title winning squad, it remains to be seen how Enrique reacts to the defensive football played by Simeone. Sporting Gijon away is the last match this month where Barcelona have a brilliant record.
October
With midweek duties in this month, Barcelona need to be wary of complacency as one upset at this stage may have effects on the final standing in May. The home games against newcomers, Deportivo and Granada seem to be a goal fest for the Blaugrana.
Away fixtures against the likes of Celta Vigo and Valencia will be tough as both the sides are capable of pulling off an upset against top sides.
November
This is a tricky month for Barcelona with the home game against Malaga, the only easy fixture on paper in this month. Away trips to Sevilla and Real Sociedad does not bode well for the champions as Sevilla, as always will be a tough team to beat this season.
At the Anoeta, the home ground of Real Sociedad, Barcelona haven't tasted victory in the last nine years. If Barca can avoid defeat in this month, they can have a huge say in the title race in the coming months. These month's fixtures are proper banana peel fixtures for the title holders.
December
The first game of December comes with the huge pressure of this season's first El Clasico as the whole world will come to a halt when the two footballing superpowers will meet for the first time this season.
Playing at home can be a big favour for Barca as this tie is a six-pointer clash at the top of the table. Other games against Osasuna and Espanyol are definite six points before the winter break.
January
The first game of 2017 comes with a visit to Villarreal who sacked their coach Marcelino after a row with the players in pre-season and are not expected to perform that well this time around. The two away trips to Eibar and Real Betis don't seem to offer much resistance to the strong Barca side.
A solo home game against Las Palmas this month is a sure shot three points for the home side.
February
Home games with Bilbao and Leganes are a must win as the league gets to the business end of the competition. An away trip to Alaves is an easy one but the other away fixture against Atletico Madrid at their home ground is a match to watch out for. Diego Simeone has made the Calderon a fortress as he looks to achieve the feat of winning the league in 2014.
March
This is the easiest month of this season for the champions as they are given three home games in the month of March. Sporting Gijon, Celta Vigo and Valencia have lost handsomely in recent times at Camp Nou and that seems to be the case that is going to happen this season too.
The away fixture against the newly promoted, Deportivo seems to be an easy ride as Barca will look to go unbeaten and win all their games in March.
April
This is the busiest month of the campaign as it features seven games. Home games against Sevilla, Sociedad and Osasuna are the hope of all three points this April. Away trips to Granada, Malaga and the Derby against Espanyol are the matches in which the champions can drop points at the end of the season.
The big match is the away game against Real Madrid as this fixture, so late in the season will definitely be a title decider.
Last April was a horrific month for Barca as they lost three matches and gave Madrid a way back into the league. But, a solid start to their season meant the Catalans won the league by a meagre one point. Luis Enrique must avoid last season's mistakes if they want to do a hattrick of League titles.
May
Home games against Villarreal and Eibar are winnable as Eibar are expected to be relegated this season and won't be that tough of a test. The away trip to Las Palmas is expected to be a total riot for Barcelona.
Predicted finish: 1st
Barcelona will run out winners in La Liga as with this summer's signings, they have a good depth in their squad compared to the Madrid clubs. Barca suffered from fatigue in the later stages of last season which meant they were out in the quarters against Atletico in the Champions League.
Another double or treble can be expected from this squad as MSN guarantees goals and with added cover in defence, Barca can have a solid campaign on all fronts.
