EXCL: Real Madrid are clear favourites to win La Liga ahead of Barcelona – Emmanuel Petit

The 2024-25 La Liga campaign kicks off on Thursday – for Barcelona, it begins on Saturday with their trip to Valencia. The Catalans will be desperate to bounce back from last season’s disappointments, which saw them finish with a trophy.

However, there is plenty of pessimism among the club’s supporters going into the new season. Only one player of note has signed (Dani Olmo) although Pau Victor, who joined permanently from Girona after his loan spell with Barca Atletic last season, has impressed during the summer friendlies.

Hansi Flick will have much the same squad that Xavi Hernandez worked with during his final season as manager, as there’s not been any significant sales of note over the summer – this is also the main reason why there has only been one major signing up until this point.

Ex-Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit is one those pessimistic about the Catalans’ chances this season. Speaking to Football España in collaboration with BetVictor, Petit gave a frank assessment of his former club’s situation.

“They are stuck. They cannot do anything without selling players. They are so many positions where they need reinforcements, but they can’t sign anyone because of their financial problems.

“I saw the game against Monaco – they were thrashed. Defensively, they were poor. If they continue to play like that, they won’t be able to compete against Real Madrid this season. I think supporters will be very worried after watching that match.

“The players will know that they don’t have the capabilities to compete against Real Madrid this season. Barcelona have aging players – Lewandowski, Gundogan. They are important, but they are not the future. And this is another problem, as they don’t have many players that they can sell, aside from some of the younger players like Lamine Yamal – but they will be desperate to keep him and others.”

Petit firmly believes that Real Madrid are clear favourites to retain the La Liga title that they won last season, with Barcelona not having the resources to keep pace with their bitter rivals.

“Real Madrid have got new players, particularly Kylian Mbappe. They look strong already, and they have so much quality in their squad. It will be extremely difficult for Barcelona to challenge them.

“I think Real Madrid are clear favourites to win La Liga. They won it last season, and also the Champions League. Now, they’ve added Kylian Mbappe. If you look at their squad, they already look so much stronger that they did last season. When you compare them with Barcelona, they are on another level.

Petit believes that Real Madrid have a fantastic squad, which has only been enhanced by Mbappe’s arrival. However, he does have some worries about their midfield, following the retirement of Toni Kroos.

“They have many great players, which allows Ancelotti to use different tactical systems throughout the season. Hansi Flick can’t do this, because Barcelona do not have enough quality players in their squad – he must be worried about the lack of quality, especially in defence and midfield.”

“The only area of concern for Real Madrid is in midfield. They’ve lost Kroos, and Luka Modric is also close to the end of his career. The players in this position must step up this season, like Camavinga and Tchouameni.”

There’s no doubt that Barcelona are going into the 2024-25 season in a relatively poor place. Aside from Olmo and a few new youngsters, it’s the same squad that struggled during the previous campaign. Flick could provide a boost, but does he have the players to implement his style of play effectively?