Spanish League La Liga 2012–13 Kicks Off on Aug. 18

The 2012-13 La Liga season will commence on August 18, 2012 with reigning champions Real Madrid taking on Valencia at Santiago Bernabeu while Barcelona will entertain Real Sociedad at Camp Nou.

The league season's first Clasico will be played at a Camp Nou on October 7, with the return fixture taking place at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 3, 2013.

Mourinho’s Real Madrid set all-time records last season for wins (32) and points in a season (100) and its 121 goals were 14 more than the previous La Liga record on their way to their 32 league title. Barcelona, under new coach Tito Vilanova, will be hoping for a injury-free season from striker David Villa and inspirational captain Carles Puyol. Both missed the recently concluded Euro 2012 through injuries and are looking to return to full fitness.

Last season, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was the top league scorer with 50 goals followed by Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo with 46 goals.