All of the attention will be on reigning champions - FC Barcelona and big spending challengers Real Madrid when the Spanish Primera Liga kicks off on Saturday night.

Barcelona's European Supercup final against Shakhtar Donetsk means Pep Guardiola's side will not play its opening game until Monday night when Sporting Gijon visits the Camp Nou stadium.

That gives Real Madrid the honor of kicking off the new season and Real does that at home to Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday night.

It will be the Primera Liga debut for players such as Kaka, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo and Madrid will be clear favorites to hit the ground running.

However, the club is still without suspended central defender Pepe and Deportivo will look to keep things tight in defense as well as aiming to exploit any weaknesses in the Madrid back line.

Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini still has not got his team working as a unit and Deportivo may just be able to come away with a point.

"Our aim is to walk into the ground intact and to walk out again intact at the end," commented Deportivo coach Miguel Angel Lotina.

Saturday also sees a duel between two newly promoted sides as Zaragoza entertains Tenerife in the la Romareda Stadium.

Zaragoza will be favorite after a busy summer in the transfer market that has seen the club sign players such as Jermaine Pennant and former Getafe forward Ikechuwku Uche.

Sunday kicks off with what should be an emotional afternoon in Athletic Club's San Mames stadium when Athletic entertains Espanyol.

It will be the first Primera Liga game since the death of Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque from a heart attack this summer and his side will try to dedicate him a victory.

Athletic meanwhile could feel the effects of a long trip to Norway, where they drew 1-1 with Tromsoe to book a place in the Europa League group stage on Thursday.

Mallorca entertains Xerez in a game between two of the teams that are among the favorites to be relegated at the end of the season, while Ernest Valverde has a difficult league debut as Villarreal coach away to Osasuna.

It looks to be a balanced affair as Racing Santander entertains Getafe in the El Sardinero Stadium. Getafe will perhaps be the more confident side after a good pre-season, while Racing has lost players such as Nikola Zigic and Jonathan Pereira over the summer.

Atletico Madrid aims to celebrate its qualification for the Champions League group stage with a win in Malaga, where Juan Ramon Muniz has returned as coach.

Finally Almeria begins the new season at home to Valladolid. It will be interesting to see how Hugo Sanchez's side fares without striker Alvaro Negredo, who has signed for Sevilla.

Negredo will make his Sevilla debut away to Valencia in what looks to be one of the weekend's standout games between two sides with early ambitions for a top-four finish.

(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2009)