“Barcelona head into this La Liga season with the chance of achieving something special. Winning the Spanish top-flight title for the third year in a row would make Hansi Flick’s team the first to do that since Pep Guardiola’s Barca in 2011. There would be nice symmetry in them doing that against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid — while they also have unfinished business in the Champions League. The Catalans have made some exciting signings in Rodri, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. But they still lack a senior centre-forward, with their pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez so far proving fruitless. This is what to expect from the coming season. …”
NYT/ATH