The fixture list was published today for the 2015/16 season, both for the first and second divisions (see links above). Barcelona start off at Athletic Bilbao, who they meet twice in the previous week in the Spanish Super Cup, and Real Madrid are away to the newly promoted Sporting Gijón on the opening weekend, which has been scheduled for 22/23 August. The other two promoted sides Betis and Las Palmas will initially host Villarreal and visit Atlético Madrid respectively, and the first “clásico” of the season between Real Madrid and Barcelona will take place in the Bernabeu stadium on or around 12th November. Meanwhile Barça’s week 10 game at Getafe has been brought forward to 26th August to free up time for them to play in the Club World Cup later in the year.
The fixture lists are still provisional though pending Elche’s appeal against relegation, and also whether the club can meet their financial obligations re players’ salaries by the 31st July deadline. Elche lost their claim to the sporting tribunal but have one appeal left to the Spanish courts, who could decide to provisionally overturn the decision to relegate them and reinstate Eibar. On the other hand they could be relegated further to the regional second division B if they can’t pay (or at least agree deferred terms for) the €7 Mio in back wages by the end of the month. If that happens any of the four sides relegated from the second division could be reinstated, although to do so they would have to cough up the €7 Mio themselves. Realistically the only team with the spending power to do that would be Barcelona B.
Theoretically other clubs could also be relegated if they miss the financial deadline, although Getafe for example say they have paid up their outstanding debts to the tax authorities and players, Llagostera and Albacete have been able to raise the capital needed to meet the LFP requirements, and no other matters have come to light up to now. Still two weeks to go however, and in the land of mañana who knows what may happen! (14.07.15)