La Liga: These Teams Could Surprise a Few

The La Liga season can’t come soon enough for the contenders, who are looking to once again dominate the pitch and win titles.

As is the usual proceedings in Spain, expect the three-headed dragon of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid to be the talk of the town when it comes to lifting the championship trophy. Rightfully so, as they have been the only winners of the league since Valencia won in 2004.

But every now and then, some new contender rises up to the ranks and challenges the hierarchy. Last year, Girona surprised everyone by staking their claim against the Spanish giants and threatening to upset the natural order of things.

Here at SBOTOP, we take a look at next season’s likely gatecrashers.

Athletic Club

Ernesto Valverde worked wonders in his third tenure with the Basque-based team. He propelled Athletic Club to fifth—the last time they did so was in the 2015/16 season, when Valverde was also the manager.

That year, Los Leones also won a trophy—the Supercopa de Espana. That was the club’s first taste of silverware since 1984.

Fast forward to last year, also a major trophy—perhaps sweeter than last time. The faithful fans of Bilbao were rewarded with the Copa del Rey (again, its first since 1984, when they won a domestic treble).

Athletic Club also turned San Mames into a fortress in La Liga, only losing once on their home ground all year round.

They were exciting to watch—they attacked and played high up the pitch. They were aggressive and looked to score every chance they got.

As of writing, they haven’t lost many key players. Aside from the departures of long-time players Iker Muniain and Dani Garcia, they also lose Asier Villalibre, who scored eight goals for them last year.

They have also signed right-back Andoni Gorosabel from Alaves, and Alvaro Djalo from Braga—the latter may very well be Nico Williams’ replacement in the event he leaves.

Instrumental to their last season’s run and playing alongside his older brother Inaki Williams, if the 22-year-old winger does indeed leave, then Athletic Club may struggle to replicate the success they had.

But if their new signings pan out and the likes of Gorka Guruzeta and Unai Simon can replicate their form, expect Athletic to threaten the top four.

Girona FC

Artem Dovbyk scored 24 goals last La Liga season — Girona forward Artem Dovbyk celebrates scoring an equaliser against Barcelona during a La Liga match in May 2024

The La Liga 2024 odds did not have Girona as one of the title challengers prior to last season. By the end of the year, I’m pretty sure they had left everyone speechless.

The Catalan side surprised everyone by being on fire in the first half of the season. The Blanquivermells were unstoppable, losing all but one league game (a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid) from August 12 to February 3.

All in all, Michel’s side spent five weeks on top of the table; an unimaginable feat that even their most hardcore supporters couldn’t have envisioned.

Despite plateauing in the second-half of the year, they ended on a high, winning five of their last seven games, including a 7-0 demolition of Granada.

A huge part of their success boiled down to their forwards. Artem Dovbyk, Cristhian Stuani, and Savio all combined for 49 goals.

They finished third in the league—five points ahead of Atletico Madrid—and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Next year, however, Girona would line up much differently from their historic season. Savio, Aleix Garcia, Eric Garcia, Yan Cuoto, and Pablo Torre have all left the club, leaving plenty of gaps to be filled.

According to La Liga 2024 news, Dovbyk may also be on his way out of Estadi Montilivi ahead of an Atletico Madrid move.

Meanwhile, Abel Ruiz, Ladislav Krejci, Gabriel Misehouy, and Donny van de Beek have been added to beef up the squad ahead of a challenging season.

Despite huge changes to their team, expect Girona to remain competitive. Sure, plenty will write their last year’s success off as nothing more than a fluke. Expect them to eat their own words.

Real Betis

Los Verdiblancos have qualified for a European spot for the fourth year in a row. That in itself is a huge achievement for a club of their stature.

But they want more than that. Manuel Pellegrini is more than that.

After winning the Copa del Rey in 2022, Real Betis are hungry for more. Last season saw them start in a decent manner, only losing two matches from August to December. But they only had six wins during that span.

Their problem was that they couldn’t close teams out, and often had to settle for a tie. In fact, they were joint-second with Cadiz when it came to having the most stalemates last season.

If they can sort out how to finish teams off, then an exciting season could be in store.

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