La Liga 2015-16 Odds – Barca Favored to Repeat

Defending La Liga champs Barcelona have one goal in mind for the upcoming season: repeat their nearly unprecedented run from last year which saw the team, not just earn the La Liga crown, but also win the Spanish treble.

Barca and their challengers will embark on the 38-game long journey to the league title this Saturday when the 85th La Liga season gets underway. All told, 20 teams will battle in 38 fixtures apiece, with the top-four earning a ticket to the UEFA Champions League, the next three heading to the Europa League, and the last three going down to the second division (La Liga Adelante).

Before the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo take to the pitch, let’s set the odds for all 20 teams to earn the title and take a closer look at the main contenders.

FC Barcelona (8/11): Last season, Barcelona won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, and the Copa Del Rey, earning their second Treble in five seasons. Having strikers like Lio Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar up front every weekend is just unfair for other teams. The Catalans are not only the favorites to repeat as La Liga champs, they’re also favored to win a second-straight Champions League title. Unless injuries slow down their formidable trio of strikers, stopping Barca will be near impossible. Truly gilding the lily, the team added midfielder Ardan Turan from Atletico Madrid in the offseason.

Real Madrid (7/4):  It was somewhat surprising to see Real Madrid so quiet during the transfer window, but the Merengues seem satisfied that their current roster can get the job done. The biggest question mark is in net after the departure of Iker Casillas to FC Porto. Costa Rican Keylor Navas is now the number one, but team president Florentino Perez is rumored to be after David DeGea from Manchester United. Either way, Madrid will be a different team from last season thanks Rafael Benitez taking over from outgoing manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Atletico Madrid (16/1): Atletico Madrid were the surprise league champs two seasons ago, clinching the title in the last match of the season. They also advanced to the final of the Champions League that season, falling to crosstown rival Real Madrid in the final. Atletico doesn’t have the roster to compete against Barcelona or Real anymore, though, despite signing Colombian forward Jackson Martinez from Porto for €35m and Argentinean forward Luciano Vietto from Villarreal for €20m.  The loss of Arda Turan will be a huge setback for the already low-scoring team’s attack.

Sevilla (50/1): Just like Atletico Madrid, last season’s Europa League winner, Sevilla, don’t have a deep enough roster to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid. The team will be tough to beat on a weekly basis, make no mistake, and will have a decent shot at grabbing the last Champions League spot. But expect at least a 20-point gap between the likes of Sevilla and Barcelona by season’s end.

The Field:

• Valencia 50/1
• Villlarreal 100/1
• Athletic Bilbao 200/1
• Celta de Vigo 1000/1
• Espanyol 1000/1
• Malaga 1000/1
• Rayo Vallecano 1000/1
• Real Sociedad 1000/1
• Betis 5000/1
• Deportivo La Coruña 10000/1
• Eibar 10000/1
• Getafe 10000/1
• Granada 10000/1
• Levante 10000/1
• Sporting Gijon 10000/1
• UD Las Palmas 10000/1

(Photo credit: Lluís from Sabadell (Barcelona), España (LFS_14039) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)