Betsson take a look at some of the top leagues and competitions of Europe in 2023/24.
European Leagues Season 2023/24
The new football season in Europe is almost upon us and there is plenty to look forward to in the 2023/24 campaign.
Can Real Madrid dethrone Barcelona in La Liga? Will anyone be able to stop Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga? Does Serie A have an entertaining title race in store? And who will win the CL?
Those are just some of the questions we will be answering in this guide to the European leagues season 2023/24, which includes start dates, predictions and much more…
CL
Key Dates
The CL season 2023/24 start is scheduled for 19 September. That is when the tournament properly begins with the group stage, although the qualifying process began as early as June.
The group stage will conclude on December 13, with the round of 16 set to start in the middle of February. The CL final will take place at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1.
Format
This will be the final CL season with eight groups of four. From the 2024/25 campaign, onwards, the tournament will begin with a league phase of 36 sides.
Teams To Watch
Manchester City are the reigning champions and the current favourites to win the tournament. They have the world’s best manager in Pep Guardiola and a guarantee for goals up front.
Real Madrid have won more CL titles than anyone else and they can never be written off, particularly with the experienced Carlo Ancelotti in the technical area.
Liverpool have a terrific record in this competition under Jurgen Klopp, while Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel is a one-time winner and one-time runner-up.
Paris Saint-Germain are desperate to win the tournament for the first time, and Barcelona are overdue a run to the latter stages.
This season’s dark horses include the likes of Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Napoli.
Fun Fact
Manchester City became the sixth English team to win the European Cup or CL last season. No other country has supplied as many winners.
Predictions
Our first European leagues prediction is that Bayern Munich will win the CL, but we should expect Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool to be strong contenders.
La Liga
Key Dates
The La Liga season start 2023/24 will be on August 11. The season will run until May 26, by which time every team in the division will have played each other home and away.
Format
La Liga features 20 teams. The top four will qualify for the CL, the fifth-place finisher will advance to the EL, and the team that finishes sixth will play in next season’s ECL. The bottom three sides will be relegated to the Segunda Division.
Teams To Watch
Barcelona are the defending champions after their success under Xavi Hernandez last term. The Blaugrana will now be striving to retain the title.
Real Madrid will be desperate to stop them doing that. The Blancos have an excellent team, but they did lose star striker Karim Benzema to Saudi Arabia.
Atletico Madrid are the third-favourites to win the title. They hit form at the start of 2023 and will be looking to carry that into the new campaign.
Teams like Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Sevilla will be targeting a top-four finish and CL qualification.
Fun Fact
Athletic Bilbao are the only club other than Real Madrid and Barcelona that have competed in every single La Liga season.
Predictions
Real Madrid should push Barcelona closer in 2023/24. They finished 10 points behind their arch-rivals last term and are unlikely to be so far adrift this time around.
However, Barcelona still look well positioned to win the title. Robert Lewandowski could be the key man up front, especially as Real Madrid will be without former top scorer Karim Benzema.
Ligue 1
Key Dates
The Ligue 1 season start 2023/24 is August 11, with the final round of fixtures scheduled for May 18.
Format
This will be the first Ligue 1 campaign with only 18 teams in the division. Four sides were relegated and only two were promoted last term after the authorities decided to slim down the top flight.
Teams To Watch
This has been a summer of change for Paris Saint-Germain, who fired Christophe Galtier and replaced him with Luis Enrique. The new manager will be tasked with winning the CL, with the Ligue 1 title almost taken for granted at the Parc des Princes these days.
PSG have lost Lionel Messi and they are also looking to sell Kylian Mbappe one year before his contract expires. They have made some good signings, though, and should be too strong for the rest of France’s top division.
Marseille have also strengthened as Marcelino looks to stamp his authority on the team, but Lens may struggle to replicate last season’s second-place finish.
Monaco’s fantastic academy means they are always worth a watch, while Lyon will be striving to climb the table after coming seventh in 2022/23.
Fun Fact
Only two clubs – Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Etienne – have got into double figures for Ligue 1 titles won.
Predictions
It is hard to look past Paris Saint-Germain winning the Ligue 1 title, and they will probably do so more comfortably than 2022/23 when they finished only a point clear of Lens.
If there is to be a challenge from elsewhere, Monaco and Marseille are the likeliest candidates.
Bundesliga
Key Dates
The Bundesliga season start 2023/24 is August 18, which means it gets going later than most other European leagues. The campaign will conclude with gameweek 34 on May 18 ahead of Germany’s hosting of the next huge international tournament.
Format
The Bundesliga has 18 teams, which makes it smaller than La Liga, Serie A and the PL. The top four qualify for the CL, the bottom two are automatically relegated, and the side that finishes third-bottom enters the relegation play-off.
Teams To Watch
By their high standards Bayern Munich were poor last term, yet they still managed to win the Bundesliga title.
With Thomas Tuchel having benefited from a full pre-season, the Bavarians should be more consistent this time around – especially if they are able to agree a deal to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.
Borussia Dortmund will be without Jude Bellingham, who has joined Real Madrid. BVB should still be able to finish in the top two, though.
RB Leipzig will challenge them for the runners-up spot under the management of Marco Rose, while Bayer Leverkusen, Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt should be in the conversation for European football.
Fun Fact
When the Bundesliga began in 1963, each city was only allowed one team – and 1860 Munich got the nod ahead of Bayern Munich.
Predictions
Bayern Munich should finish in first place without too much difficulty, with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig likely to fall short. The race for the fourth and final CL spot promises to be competitive.
Serie A
Key Dates
The Serie A season start 2023/24 is set for August 19. All 20 teams will play each other twice, before the campaign wraps up on May 26.
Format
There will again be 20 teams competing in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football, in the 2023/24 campaign. Four will qualify for the CL and three will be relegated to Serie B, the second tier.
Teams To Watch
Napoli were sensational last season but they have lost their manager Luciano Spalletti and one of their key players, Kim Min-jae. However, attacking stars Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia remain at the club for now.
Inter reached the CL final last season and will now be targeting Serie A glory under Simone Inzaghi, while Juventus will be desperate to get back on top as quickly as possible.
Dark horses for the title include Lazio, AC Milan, Atalanta and Roma, but those four clubs are more likely to be competing for European qualification.
Fun Fact
Napoli remain the only team from the south of mainland Italy to have won the Serie A title.
Predictions
Napoli will not dominate like they did last year, but they should still be there or thereabouts. However, we like the look of Inter in the Serie A title race.
