The football season is almost here with us after the summer break. A lot has happened on the transfer front, with European heavyweights doing everything to strengthen their squads. Despite the upturn that has seen popular players move to Saudi Arabia in a new wave, there is no doubt all eyes remain on the big five European leagues. Below are the start dates of these popular leagues.
Premier League (England)
The 2023/24 Premier League season returns to normalcy, with Manchester City aiming for an unprecedented fourth-successive title. Relegation in the previous campaign saw Leicester, Leeds, and Southampton replaced by Burnley, Sheffield United, and Luton.
The season kicks off on August 12th, 2023, and closes on May 19th, 2024. Manchester City remain among the heavy sports betting favorites, but they face a hungry lot of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Newcastle.
La Liga (Spain)
Barcelona claimed their 27th league title in the 2022/23 season, but Real Madrid is determined to reclaim the crown and chase their 36th Spanish title. The absence of Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, who moved to Saudi Arabia will surely be felt unless Kylian Mbappe can make the long-awaited move to the Bernabeu.
Valladolid, Espanyol, and Elche will play in the Segunda Division, while Granada, Las Palmas, and Alaves return to the top flight. The new La Liga season starts on August 12th, 2023, and end on May 26th, 2024.
Serie A (Italy)
Napoli celebrated their third Serie A title, a triumphant return reminiscent of the Maradona era. However, without manager Luciano Spalletti, they face a tough title defense. There are growing fears about losing Talisman and last season’s Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen who could be moving to the Saudi league, but there is nothing concrete so far.
The Serie A kicks off on August 20th, 2023, and ends on May 26th, 2024. Spezia, Cremonese, and Sampdoria were relegated, while Frosinone, Genoa, and Cagliari secured promotions.
Bundesliga (Germany)
Borussia Dortmund lost the Bundesliga title on the final day, handing Bayern Munich their 11th successive title. The new Bundesliga season starts on August 18th, 2023, promising another exciting run all the way until May 18th, 2024. Schalke and Hertha Berlin faced relegation, while Heidenheim and Darmstadt are set for their Bundesliga journeys.
Dortmund have since lost Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, while Bayern, on their part, are looking to poach English national Harry Kane from Tottenham. New kid on the Block RB Leipzig are heavty Betway favorites to shake the Bundesliga, despite losing talisman Christopher Nkunku and Dominic Szoboszlai to Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.
Ligue 1 (France)
Despite an overall disappointing performance, PSG clinched their 11th Ligue 1 title with a game to spare. However, they may have to defend the trophy without Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar in the upcoming season. Messi has since left for the American League, while the controversy surrounding Mbappe lingers.
The league was reduced to 18 teams, with Auxerre, Ajaccio, Troyes, and Angers relegated to Ligue 2. Le Havre earned promotion after 14 years, and Metz swiftly returned to Ligue 1.
The new Ligue 1 season starts on August 12th, 2023, ending on May 18th, 2024. Get your Betway slips ready for yet another captivating season.