Spanish La Liga to kick off Friday

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - The 2022-23 football season in the Spanish La Liga will start Friday.

Having signed Brazilian defenders Marcao, Alex Telles, and Spanish midfielder Isco this summer, Sevilla will visit Osasuna in the season opener.

The Osasuna vs. Sevilla match will start at 1900GMT.

Barcelona will take on Rayo Vallecano in a Saturday Spanish league match at home.

On Sunday, defending champions Real Madrid will play against Almeria.

Real Madrid returned home joyous after their recent victory.

The Whites on Wednesday added the 2022 UEFA Super Cup to their trophy cabinet, beating their German opponents Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in Finland.

- 'El Clasico' matches to be held in October, March

This season's first "El Clasico" between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be played on Oct. 16 at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Its return match will be held at Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona on March 19, 2023.

- Real Madrid sign Tchouameni, Barca acquire Lewandowski

Last season's champions Real Madrid signed French defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco, and German central defender Antonio Rudiger in the summer transfer window.

According to the football data website Transfermarkt, Real Madrid paid €80 million (nearly $83 million) for Monaco to add 22-year-old Tchouameni to their squad in July.

Rudiger, 29, left Chelsea as his contract with the English club ran out this summer.

Longtime Real Madrid members Isco, Welsh winger Gareth Bale, and Brazilian left back Marcelo exit the club this summer.

Meanwhile, one of the title contenders, Barcelona signed many players including Polish forward Robert Lewandowski, who played for Bayern Munich in 2014-2022.

Lewandowski, 33, was signed for a €45-million transfer fee.

French defender Jules Kounde, Brazilian winger Raphinha, Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie and Danish central defender Andreas Christensen were also Barcelona arrivals.

Barca paid €58 million for Leeds United to get Raphinha, which was the Spanish club's highest fee this summer.

In July, Barcelona sold Brazilian winger Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa for €20 million, and the team's 39-year-old Brazilian right back Dani Alves made his way to Mexican club UNAM Pumas after his contract had ended.

French international Clement Lenglet, a Barcelona defender, joined Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan.

In August, American club LA Galaxy transferred 22-year-old Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig from Barcelona. Puig was not a Barcelona regular, but was usually used for squad rotation.

Separately, Atletico Madrid signed Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel in July as the 33-year-old left Borussia Dortmund when his deal expired last month.

In July, Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez's decade-plus in Europe ended as the 35-year-old made his way to his boyhood club Nacional in Uruguay.

Suarez previously played for Atletico Madrid, where he won the Spanish league title in 2021.