Contending clubs to watch in La Liga this season

This season is an interesting one for La Liga, as Barcelona continues to rue the loss of Lionel Messi and their championship hopes are seemingly disappearing with him leaving, and a host of clubs are licking their lips in the race for the title in Spain. Here is a look at the top 4 contenders and want can be expected from them this season.

Atletico Madrid
The frontrunners for the title have to be the reigning champions, as the Colchoneros have added to their already talented squad by bringing back Frenchman who was on loan at Barcelona.

The reintroduction of the forward means he’s joining a front line that includes the South American trio of Luis Suarez, Angel Correa, and recent signing Matheus Cunha. For all their attacking options it has to be said that, Diego Simeone’s side plays a very robust style which upsets their opposition but gets results.

Villarreal
Unai Emeri’s side held aloft the UEFA Europa League trophy last season in what was the first major triumph in the history of the club after they beat Manchester United in May in a thrilling penalty shootout.

It could be said they are a side who have consistently flirted around the fringes of success since returning to the top flight just under a decade ago. They’re always mentioned, they’re never underestimated, and get goals that fans love nothing more when they’re in the stadiums.

They were fourth-highest scorers in La Liga last season and with the addition of striker Bouleye Dia from French club Reims, they have an opportunity to fight for their highest ever La Liga finish this time out.

Real Madrid
This season, sports betting company Ladbrokes have Real Madrid as their frontrunners for the championship. Italian, Carlo Ancelotti made a move back to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer after leaving Premier League side Everton, for a second stint in the hot seat with Los Blancos with the aim of putting them back at the top of the tree in Spain.

Whilst they currently might not have the Galacticos that they once had, with the departures of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane they have some exciting talent in their armoury. The effervescence of Vinicius Junior allied with the guile of Luka Modric and the defensive nous of David Alaba, mean that people shouldn’t write off Real Madrid just yet.

Sevilla
Sevilla continue to be the side who are always in and around the top spots in La Liga, waiting for a team to slip up, and this season is no different. They’ve not won the La Liga title in over 70 years but their record is such that they are heralded as being within La the top four sides according to most onlookers.

But if Real Madrid are considered as the swashbuckling side of La Liga, Sevilla are one for the purists of the game and that’s highlighted in the number of goals scored…. Or lack of! But don’t let that fool you when it comes to their credentials at all.

In Erik Lamela, who they brought in from Tottenham Hotspur this summer, they have a player who has the ability to change the game in an instant. And for a side who loves nothing more than defensive solidity and a 1-0 win, of which they got eight last season, Lamela might just be the man to make more of those close victories that Sevilla love, a distinct possibility.