Real Madrid cruised to the title in La Liga last term, losing just one game and racking up 29 wins as they finished 10 points clear of Barcelona to regain the trophy from their rivals and Carlo Ancelotti’s men rubbed salt in the wounds by landing the Champions League too.
However, it has been all change at Barca over the summer with plenty of transfer activity and, notably, the managerial switch from Xavi to treble-winner Hansi Flick.
The German has wasted no time in getting his ideas across at his new club and they have roared into an early lead in the Spanish top flight.
With plenty to like about this new-look Barcelona, we have picked out three key reasons to back them over Real Madrid for the La Liga crown this season.
Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
It would be harsh to say Xavi failed as Barca coach given that he led them to the 2022-23 title, but there is a feeling his tenure was somewhat underwhelming on the whole as other than a Spanish Super Cup, that was his only piece of silverware with a very expensive team.
The appointment of Flick is a positive one when his pedigree is considered and he could be the perfect man to get a tune out of this star-studded squad.
After being assistant to Joachim Low as Germany lifted the 2014 World Cup, Flick took over at Bayern Munich in 2019. Within 16 months he had won every trophy available to him, landing a sextuple with the Bavarians.
That is a good omen for Barca – the only other manager to land a sextuple was Pep Guardiola during his time at the Nou Camp and, given Bayern lost just seven of Flick’s 86 games in charge, the Blaugrana look to be in safe hands.
Real’s signing of arguably the world’s greatest player Kylian Mbappe made them even stronger favourites for the title than they already were.
However, adding the Frenchman to a frontline of Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham – the trio combined for 44 league goals last term – could prove to be overkill, especially with youngster Endrick in the mix too, as their styles clash and individual desire to score takes precedence.
Barca’s attack, in contrast, looks far more balanced. Robert Lewandowski – the Pole who netted 83 goals in 71 appearances under Flick with Bayern – is the obvious goalscorer and he is flanked by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, who are both more natural creators than Madrid’s Brazilians.
Likewise, Pedri and Dani Olmo are better playmakers than Bellingham and that balance, which has seen Barca score 17 goals in their opening five league games – Real have netted just nine – should prove vital throughout the season.
Since the start of last season, Barca have been playing their home matches at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys while the Nou Camp has undergone some much-needed renovation and that clearly had a huge impact on results last term.
Barca won 15 and lost just one of their 19 league matches at the Nou Camp in their 2022-23 title-winning campaign, but saw a drop-off at their makeshift home last term as the Blaugrana were beaten three times at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in La Liga.
However, they are set to return to their iconic Nou Camp in November, a move which will only enhance their already strong title claims further.