After guiding Barcelona to win La Liga in his first full season at Catalunya, all eyes are going to be on manager Hansi Flick to see if he can do it again this upcoming season. The German tactician has a huge target on his back, with 19 other Spanish top-flight teams coming for the crown.
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, who finished second and third last term, should challenge Barcelona in 2025-26 with their strong rosters. On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal are the distant challengers for the title, per the early La Liga 2025 odds.
Without further ado, read more below as SBOTOP examines Barcelona’s chances of losing the La Liga title by looking at three of their closest challengers: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid went through drastic changes this summer after finishing second behind Barcelona this past season. First, they appointed Xabi Alonso as their new head coach following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti. And second, they lost Luka Modric in the transfer market, as the veteran playmaker joined AC Milan on a free. In return, they’ve added Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Gonzalo Garcia, and Franco Mastantuono to their squad.
Los Blancos represented La Liga well in the recently concluded Club World Cup but fell short against PSG in the semi-finals. After the tournament, Xabi Alonso said he wants the club to pursue more signings to reinforce their squad ahead of another grueling campaign.
Their chances have taken a massive hit after it was confirmed that Jude Bellingham will be out for a while due to a shoulder injury. The Englishman just underwent surgery and will be out until October. Despite this, Real Madrid still have a stacked midfield, with Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, and Arda Guler, who could fill in.
And then there’s Kylian Mbappe, who’s eager to make his presence felt again. The Frenchman won the Pichichi trophy last season with 31 league goals, and he’s more than capable of creating new La Liga 2025 highlights. Moreover, the returns of Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao should provide a huge boost to their backline.
Fans are also anxious about what the club will do to Rodrygo, who is seemingly on his way out, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and PSG reportedly knocking on his door.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid finished third in La Liga last season and couldn’t make it out of the group stage in the recently concluded Club World Cup, so Diego Simeone has his work cut out for him this summer. So far, Los Rojiblancos have been busy in the transfer window, signing Juan Musso and Clement Lenglet to permanent deals while recruiting Matteo Ruggeri, Alex Baena, and Thiago Almada. In return, they’ve let go of Cesar Azpilicueta, Axel Witsel, Reinildo Mandava, Rodrigo Riquelme, and Angel Correa.
With the attacking trio of Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth, and Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid boast one of the best attacking units in the Spanish top-flight. They are also steady on the defencive end, with Jan Oblak manning between the sticks, and Robin Le Normand, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Javi Galan in front of him.
Atletico Madrid are not yet done with their summer transfers, as they’re reportedly interested in taking Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart as a potential replacement for Correa. However, they don’t want to be in a bidding war against Bayern Munich for the German forward. Los Rojiblancos are setting themselves up not only to potentially contend at present, but also for the future, since they have gotten younger.
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao are on this list because they still have their core intact. They managed to fend off Barcelona’s hot pursuit of Nico Williams by signing the prodigious winger to a new contract until 2035.
Besides keeping the Williams brothers, Athletic Bilbao still have Oihan Sancet, Gorka Guruzeta, Alex Berenguer, Maroan Sannadi, and Alvaro Djalo who could help up front, while Dani Vivian, Aitor Paredes, Yuri Berchiche, and Yeray Alvarez holding it down at the back. On the other hand, they signed Roberto Navarro and Beñat Gerenabarrena via free transfers while loaning Julen Agirrezabala to Valencia, and losing Oscar de Marcos to retirement.
Los Leones secured their Champions League comeback by finishing fourth in the standings last term. This means that they will play more matches than usual, which will ultimately test their depth. Considering they only recruit players from the Basque Country, this poses a major challenge for Ernesto Valverde’s side.
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