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New season, same
old story. In my mind, there is no way Barcelona’s dominance of Spanish
football will end this year, even if you consider Real Madrid will no
doubt improve under the guidance of Portuguese coaching maestro Jose
Mourinho.

The two-time
defending champions are just too strong and too solid to finish below
their old rivals in the league table. And while I’m in the predicting
mood, here’s my forecast for the other movers and shakers for the
forthcoming season in the Primera Division Champions – Barcelona Last
season, Barca and Real staged a duel of epic proportions. It was a case
of “whatever you can do, I can do better.” When the dust settled, Pep
Guardiola’s side had set a new record for points, while Real came close
to beating the mark for most goals scored.

This year, both
sides will push each other all the way once more, and in my mind, the
same team will come out on top. Considering Barcelona picked up one of
the best strikers in the world in David Villa to play alongside Leo
Messi and Pedro up front, it means they will be virtually unstoppable.
Even if the fragile Andres Iniesta succumbs once again to injury, this
team is just too good to fail. With Xavi running the show in midfield,
they will dazzle their opposition in Spain and finish first.

So what about Real
Madrid, you ask? Well, they will improve. Especially at the back. Jose
Mourinho is known for his safety first approach and Los Blancos will
concede less goals than they did last year. However, like the
Portuguese coach admitted himself, it will take a while to get the best
out of his players. The Special One revealed his team will only be
truly special after the second season he is in charge, so they will
come up short this year.

An X-Factor that
will affect the title race in Spain is how far both teams make it in
the European Champions League. Real president Florentino Perez is
obsessed with winning the competition again, and Mourinho himself will
prioritize Europe’s top prize ahead of La Liga considering they haven’t
won it since 2002. Barcelona could also put Europe first since they
have won the last two domestic titles and what they really want is to
rack up their Champions League trophies while in possession of the best
team in their history.

Over-achievers: Valencia

This is a really tough one to call because there are so many teams that could surprise this year, but I am going with Valencia.

Considering they
lost David Villa, David Silva and Nicola Zigic, many could believe Los
Che would tumble down the league table in the coming campaign, but I
believe they will still manage to qualify for the Champions League.

Why? Well for
starters, although they needed to sell some of their top players in an
effort to balance the books, Valencia have a great head coach in place.
Unai Emery is a diligent student of the game and proved last year that
he has a knack for making his team better than the sum of its parts.

Secondly, there is
still plenty of talent in this squad. World Cup winner Juan Mata,
Argentine midfielder Ever Banega and winger Pablo Hernandez are all
exciting young players. Add to the mix veterans like David Albelda and
Joaquin, and you have a promising season ahead.

Their close-season
signings were also very impressive. Strikers Roberto Soldado and Aritz
Aduriz, who between them scored 28 goals for Getafe and Mallorca last
season, should get plenty of goals at the Mestalla, and Portugal
central defender Ricardo Costa is also a good acquisition.

My verdict is that Valencia will finish fourth, behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla.

Under-achievers: Atletico Madrid

Expectations are
always so high at the Vicente Calderon, and more often than not, Los
Colchoneros don’t live up to them. With stars such as Diego Forlan,
Sergio Aguero and Simao Sabrosa, this team should finish in the top
four. However, from what I hear, the atmosphere in the dressing isn’t
great and I don’t think the players will put their bodies on the line
for coach Quique Sanchez Flores.

Last season,
Atletico finished in a disappointing ninth place and I don’t see them
climbing a lot higher in the new campaign. Their recent signings don’t
impress me too much and consequently they will once again flatter to
deceive, with Forlan and El Kun scoring their share of goals.

Top scorer: Leo Messi

This is a tough one
to call because both Barcelona and Real will score a LOT of goals this
season, and both teams feature several players who could finish on
double figures. At the Camp Nou, David Villa’s tally could eat into
Messi’s haul, but the Argentine superstar will once again win El
Pichichi title.

Cristiano Ronaldo,
who had 26 goals in 29 league games last season, will see his total go
down. I believe Mourinho won’t want the team to be CR9-dependent and
therefore expect Higuain, Kaka, Di Maria and others to pitch in with
their fair share of strikes.

An outside
contender is Roberto Soldado. He has a great goalscoring record since
leaving his hometown club Real Madrid, netting for fun at Osasuna and
Getafe. He should get plenty of chances at his new team, Valencia, and
could finish the season near the top of the charts.