Barcelona will open the new La Liga season against Villarreal on the weekend of September 27/28.
Whether Lionel Messi is there or not, Ronald Koeman’s first league game in charge is now scheduled for the end of September.
La Liga officially begins on the weekend of September 12/13 but after reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in August, Barca have been granted two extra weeks to prepare for the new season.
Real Madrid will begin their campaign just one week after the rest of the league after falling at the quarter-final stages of the Champions League. Zinedine Zidane’s side open their Spanish title defence away to Real Sociedad the weekend of September 19/20.
The first clasico of the season is currently scheduled for October 25 at Camp Nou. The second will be on April 11 in Madrid.
Atletico Madrid have also been given the first two rounds off, and will start against Granada at home.
