la liga 2012-13
Cristiano Ronaldo earns $10 million dollars a year, plays his favorite sport for a living in front of adoring fans, and is recognized as one of the greats of all time.
So why is he unhappy?
Cristiano Ronaldo's brace and Gonzalo Higuain's third goal of the season lifted Real Madrid 3-0 over Granada for its first win of the season.
Barcelona became the only team in the First Division of the Spanish League to win its first three games after a 1-0 win over a struggling Valencia. Barca won their first match 5-1 over Real Sociedad two weeks ago before dropping Osasuna 2-1 last weekend.pic
This weekend starts the 2012-13 La Liga season which will ultimately be a two horse race between Barcelona who tries to win its fourth championship in five years and Real Madrid who looks to win its second best.
However, it is essential to remember that the rest of the squads will get a shot at a Champions League Berth and a few spots in the Europa League. And one cannot forget that they will also be fighting to steer clear of the last three spots which would banish them from the league next season.
But the main drama is the battle between Real Madrid and Barca for the top spot. Here are the match ups of the weekend and predictions.
When La Liga begins on Saturday, 20 teams will initiate a 10 month competitive journey for Spanish league supremacy. Last season, a three year reign was ended when Real Madrid took its 32nd title with a monstrous season that included 100 points, 121 goals, and stellar plus-89 goal differential.
While La Liga is usually a two horse race, it is always intriguing to see which squads will join the fray and try to make a run and which fall out of the division all together. Here is a look at all the teams competing and where they stand as contenders.
CF Barcelona had won the La Liga Title for three consecutive seasons before losing it to hated rivals Real Madrid.
But last season's loss may have had more to do with injuries to major contributors such David Villa and Carles Puyols than the team underachieving. With two of their superstars back in the fold and with a plethora of new additions, this team should be back on track to reclaim its fourth title in five years.
The last time Real Madrid entered a La Liga season as defending champions was in 2009. During the last three seasons, they have watched as their hated rivals from Barcelona took the prize time and again.
The big question for Los Merengues is whether they can repeat as champions? Last season they achieved the feat with a healthy lead over second place Barcelona, but this season may however be far more difficult to achieve the status of champions as their rivals will finally be healthy and made a plethora of moves over the summer to improve. Here is a look at Real Madrid prior to the start of the season.
