Opening 2019-20 La Liga Odds: Barcelona Listed as -165 Favorites

• Barca already -165 favorites for 2019/20 La Liga
• Big summer rebuild for Real Madrid
• Big changes too at Barca

Barcelona’s emphatic La Liga win in 2018/19 has understandably seen them installed immediately as favorites in the La Liga Odds for next season.

In a league that is dominated by three teams, for Barca to win it by 11 points was astonishing, so there is clearly work over the summer to be done by their rivals if they are to close that gap next season.

La Liga 2019/20 – Odds To Win

*Odds taken May 25, 2019

Despite finishing third, behind their city counterparts Atletico, Real Madrid have been installed as second favorites on the premise they are unlikely to under-perform in two consecutive seasons.

Pressure From Above

The pressure from Real’s president, board and fans is already starting to build after a season that saw them win just a single trophy – the meaningless FIFA Club World Cup. It’s been widely described as one of the club’s worst seasons in the modern century.

0-2: Victoria del Betis en el Bernabéu.

? https://t.co/xb6aSE73mX#RMLiga pic.twitter.com/q5x2Rebw0C

— Real Madrid C.F.⚽ (@realmadrid) May 19, 2019

All of which adds up to a summer of rebuilding for the Spanish giants, who will be prepared to do whatever it takes and spend whatever it takes to get back to going toe-to-toe with Barca.

The first part of the rebuild has been done by luring back Zinedine Zidane to coach the side – they ended up with three different coaches last season – and he has been promised the chance to model the squad in his own image.

Galacticos Incoming

Already Real are being linked to names such as Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe – three superstars of European soccer – which has already sent out a massive signal of intent and if they come to fruition will be a shot across the bows of Barca.

SkySports | #Chelsea want £130m for Eden Hazard, Real Madrid value the winger at no more than (£88m). Chelsea are under no pressure to sell and negotiations over a proposed deal are being handled by Blues director Marina Granovskaia. #CFC pic.twitter.com/KdGBIBoUKy

— The Blues (@TheBlues___) May 25, 2019

Interestingly, despite winning La Liga at a canter, Barca are also under pressure from their fans to do some serious business over the summer. A disappointing end to their season, which was supposed to end in UEFA Champions League glory, saw them lose  4-3 on aggregate to Liverpool in the semi-final after winning the first-leg in the Camp Nou 3-0.

So, despite winning the league, all is not well in Catalonia. Question marks remain over the long-term future of manager Ernesto Valverde, with a disgruntled Lionel Messi clearly unhappy that his aim of winning another Champions League floundered on Merseyside.

Busy Summer in Barca

Clearly, Barca will do business over the summer and have already signed Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong and been linked with his team-mate Matthijs de Ligt, as well as there being the long-term link to Atleti’s Antoine Griezmann, who looks certain to be playing his soccer elsewhere next season.

Real’s season has been widely described as one of the club’s worst in modern century

The big question is if Valverde is indeed around to make these changes, can he successfully integrate this younger generation into his ageing squad, while phasing out some of the well-established names? No easy task.

De Jong has published a picture on Instagram in which he poses with Matthijs de Ligt and Barcelona's official club account has replied '???'.

What do you make of this? Was it meant just for De Jong, or does the club have a secret message that is hiding behind the comment? pic.twitter.com/cbeHrQr1mu

— barcacentre (from ?) (@barcacentre) May 17, 2019

Simeone Will Keep Atleti Competitve

Atleti, who operate on a massively smaller budget than the other two but are magnificently managed by Diego Simeone, will push the two Spanish giants all the way, but it always takes some extraordinary circumstances, like this season, for them to gatecrash the top two.

So, an intriguing summer awaits and much will depend on the business both clubs do in the transfer market, but the resources available to Zidane will be astronomical and we can see him moulding a side that will take Barca’s crown next season.

The Pick: Real Madrid (+145)