La Liga 2022/23 Season Preview – Title Favourites, Promoted Teams, New Signings and More

With less than three weeks until the start of the 2022/23 La Liga season, now is the perfect time to discuss all the key talking points ahead of the new campaign.

In this season preview, we analyse the title race, examine the battle for Europe, inspect the newly-promoted sides and profile all the noteworthy new arrivals. What more could you ask for?

Who Are the La Liga Title Favourites?

As always, Real Madrid and Barcelona are the bookmakers' favourites to lift the trophy. Los Blancos clinched their 35th title last season, moving 11 crowns clear of Barca on the all-time leaderboard.

Carlo Ancelotti's men finished 13 points clear of their El Clasico rivals last term, losing just four of their 38 games. Thanks largely to the evergreen Karim Benzema, Real Madrid were also the top scorers by some distance.

That said, Atletico Madrid are also in the mix. Having clinched the title in 2013/14 and 2020/21, Diego Simeone's side know what it takes to compete with – and outperform – the big two.

How Will the Battle for European Places Pan Out?

After finishing three points behind second-place Barcelona and one point shy of third-place Atletico Madrid last season, Sevilla are the bookies' favourites to claim the fourth Champions League spot next term.

Real Betis will fancy their chances of securing European football after finishing fifth in the previous campaign. Real Sociedad and Villarreal are tipped to challenge for a top-six berth, too, having finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

What Can We Expect from the Newly-Promoted Teams?

Almeria and Real Valladolid gained automatic promotion from Segunda Division last season, finishing on 81 points apiece.

Almeria are back in La Liga for the first time since 2014/15, while Valladolid return after just one season away.

Despite claiming the sixth and final play-off spot, Girona gained promotion last term. Girona are back in the top flight for the first time since 2018/189 after spending three seasons in the second division.

According to the bookies, Almeria and Valladolid are expected to perform better than Girona. At this stage, however, it is difficult to predict how the newly-promoted teams will fare.

Who Are the New La Liga Players to Keep an Eye On?

Barcelona have been on a mission this summer. In addition to the big-money signings of Raphinha (€58m) and Robert Lewandowski (€45m), the Catalans have acquired Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on free transfers.

Real Madrid forked out a whopping €80m for French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Meanwhile, Antonio Rudiger has arrived at the Bernabéu on a free transfer from Chelsea.

Other high-profile arrivals include Brais Mendez to Real Sociedad and Luiz Felipe to Real Betis.