After winning La Liga in 2022-2023, FC Barcelona were unable to defend this title in the 2023-24 season and barely finished second as Girona emerged as a surprise contender for the top spots.
Significant changes have taken place in the Catalan team since Real Madrid came out as the winners of the last league title, the most prominent being the departure of Xavi Hernandez, and the appointment of Hansi Flick in his stead.
The German will be looking to get to a winning start in his first season at FC Barcelona but will have only a short period of time to prepare for the upcoming campaign as most of the Blaugrana players are currently busy with the UEFA EURO 2024 and the 2024 Copa America.
As SPORT has reported, La Liga has already announced the schedule for the opening round of fixtures of the upcoming campaign, and Barcelona are set to kick off their domestic campaign with a match against Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday, August 17th.
Their main contenders for the league title, Real Madrid, will begin their La Liga campaign with a match against Mallorca at the Sont Moix a day later, i.e., Sunday, August 18th. The first match of the La Liga season is scheduled to take place between Athletic Club and Getafe at San Mames.
This year, the Blaugranes will be able to welcome a familiar foe back in the Spanish top flight, as Espanyol are the latest side to have ensured their promotion to La Liga.
Thus, Barcelona have around one month to prepare for the upcoming season, as the Catalan team is set to return to activity on July 10th. On this day, the usual medical tests will be undertaken ahead of the start of the season, and the team will begin its training and pre-season after that date.
