Madrid: A new-look Real Madrid will open its Spanish league campaign on Sunday with a visit to Mallorca, and defending champion Barcelona hopes to put squad concerns behind it at Racing Santander.
With new coach Jose Mourinho bringing in a raft of players, expectations are high at the Bernabeu after big-spending Madrid failed to secure any titles last season. The Portuguese coach has some new bite in attack with winger Angel Di Maria, midfielders Mesut Oezil and Pedro Leon, and forward Sergio Canales. The team's ball-winning ability should be boosted by midfielder Sami Khedira and defender Ricardo Carvalho.
"With a new coach and six signings, we haven't had a lot of time," Mourinho said ahead of his debut, stressing the need for his team to improve as the season continues. "The important thing is that we grow, that we are solid, that we play at a medium-high level and show stability in our play and our results."
Mourinho, who won the Champions League, Italian league and Italian Cup titles last season with Inter Milan, has several injury worries to balance out the new arrivals.
Midfielders Fernando Gago and Kaka will miss Sunday's game and the defense looks stretched without Pepe, Ezequiel Garay and Raul Albiol. Carvalho could be brought straight into central defense to cover the deficit.
Mourinho has made clear he prefers to play Cristiano Ronaldo on the wing rather than as a center forward, which was his usual role last season, and Gonzalo Higuain is likely to start up front.
For defender Marcelo, Mourinho has already made an impact at the Bernabeu.
"He's changed our spirit," Marcelo said. "Our training sessions are a constant battle to win a place (on the team) and they make us stronger every day."
A visit to Mallorca last season was a daunting prospect for any team, as the team played well at home record under coach Gregorio Manzano. However, the club is in financial turmoil, causing the departure of several key players. Manzano has also left, to be replaced by Michael Laudrup.
Mallorca received a morale boost this week when senior player Carlos Nunes revealed he had rejected an offer from Sevilla and will stay at the club.
Meanwhile, Santander was a candidate for relegation last season and Barcelona goes into the game on the back of a resounding win against Sevilla in the Supercup and a victory on penalties following a 1-1 draw against AC Milan in a friendly on Wednesday.
On the field, the team with eight members of Spain's World Cup squad looks as confident as it did last season when it won a second straight league title. Moreover, new signing David Villa opened his scoring account with his new team against Milan.
However, behind the scenes, Barcelona is still trying to resolve some key squad issues as the transfer window closure looms.
On Thursday, the agent of unsettled striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic met with representatives of Barcelona and Milan to discuss the possibility of the player moving to the Italian club, although no deal was reached. Reports of a breakdown of the Sweden striker's relationship with coach Pep Guardiola have emerged in the media and the coach clearly wants to resolve the issue swiftly.
"The directors have told me they want to sell me, but I don't know what the coach wants because he doesn't talk to me," Ibrahimovic told Italian media on Wednesday after the game against Milan. "In the last six months Guardiola has spoken to me twice."
Guardiola replied on Thursday: "If I've only spoken to him twice, it's for a reason."
Also, with Yaya Toure's close-season move to Manchester City, Guardiola wants a new defensive midfielder, preferably Liverpool's Javier Mascherano, though Barcelona's ability to buy big is restricted due to financial issues.
Santander, though, is bracing itself for the arrival of the league champions on Sunday.
"It's the best team in the world," Santander goalkeeper Antonio "Tono" Rodriguez said. "It's the same whether you face them now or in Week 10 of the season."
In other games, Sevilla will be looking to bounce back from its elimination from the Champions League by Braga when it visits promoted Levante on Saturday, and Europa League champion Atletico Madrid hosts Sporting Gijon on Monday.
Also on Saturday, it's: Hercules vs. Athletic Bilbao, and Malaga vs. Valencia. On Sunday, it's: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Zaragoza; Espanyol vs. Getafe; Real Sociedad vs. Villarreal; and Osasuna vs. Almeria.
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