Real Madrid

Los Blancos had the league title wrapped up at the end of April, allowing head coach Carlo Ancelotti to rotate his squad in the final weeks of the campaign, which certainly paid off for the club.

Real Madrid will be looking to hold off competition from a revitalised Barcelona in the new campaign, and it would also be some achievement if they could win the Champions League once again.

At this point, there have only been two new signings this summer, with Aurelien Tchouameni arriving in a big-money deal from Monaco, while Antonio Rudiger made the move on a free transfer from Chelsea.

Real Madrid have not lost any key players, though, and they will once again be a force in the new campaign.

Here, Sports Mole looks ahead to the upcoming season for the Whites, who will be aware that it has been a hugely impressive transfer window for their Clasico rivals Barcelona.

FIXTURES

Real Madrid will begin their 2022-23 La Liga campaign away to newly-promoted outfit Almeria on August 14, and their first three matches are all away, including games with Celta Vigo and Espanyol, due to the remodelling work that is taking place at their home stadium.

The team's first league fixture of the season at Bernabeu will be against Real Betis on September 3, while they will travel to Wanda Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby on September 17.

The first Clasico of the campaign will take place at Bernabeu on October 15, while the team's final match ahead of the break for the 2022 World Cup comes against Cadiz on November 8.

Ancelotti's side will then not be back in action until December 30, facing a trip to Real Valladolid, while they will take on Atletico at home at the end of February.

The second league Clasico of the campaign comes at Camp Nou in the middle of March, while they will have five games in May, facing Real Sociedad, Getafe, Valencia, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla ahead of their final league game of the season at home to Athletic Bilbao on June 3.

SUMMER SIGNINGS

In

Antonio Rudiger (free, Chelsea)

Aurelien Tchouameni (£68.3m, Monaco)

Out

Isco (free, Sevilla)

Marcelo (end of contract)

Gareth Bale (free, Los Angeles FC)

Luka Jovic (free, Fiorentina)

Victor Chust (undisclosed, Cadiz)

Takefusa Kubo (£5.9m, Real Sociedad)

Borja Mayoral (£9m, Getafe)

Miguel Gutierrez (undisclosed, Girona)

Real Madrid total spent to date: £68.3m

Real Madrid total received to date: £14.9m

Real Madrid net transfer balance: - £53.4m

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin

Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Jesus Vallejo, Nacho, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy

Midfielders: Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Federico Valverde, Lucas Vazquez, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga

Forwards: Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Mariano Diaz

STRONGEST XI

STAR PLAYER - Karim Benzema

Benzema enjoyed an incredible 2021-22 season for Real Madrid, scoring 44 goals and providing 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions, playing a leading role in their success.

In La Liga, the France international scored 27 goals and provided 12 assists in 32 matches, while he netted 15 times and contributed two assists in 12 Champions League appearances.

Benzema also registered in both the semi-finals and final of this season's Spanish Super Cup to help Los Blancos win the trophy, and he has now scored 323 goals and registered 159 assists in 605 games for Real Madrid, meaning that only Cristiano Ronaldo (450) has netted more times for the club.

The 34-year-old will again lead the attack for Real Madrid in the new season, and it will be interesting to see whether he can maintain his performance level from last term, as he was one of the outstanding performers across world football.

MANAGER - Carlo Ancelotti

Ancelotti's return to Real Madrid last summer was widely criticised, but the 63-year-old has once again proved that he is one of the best managers in the world.

The Italian started his managerial career at Reggiana in 1995, while he has also taken charge of Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton.

Ancelotti previously coached Real Madrid between 2013 and 2015, leading the club to the Copa del Rey, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup during his first spell.

He then returned to Bernabeu last summer following a difficult spell at Everton and ended last season with a record of 39 wins, eight draws and nine defeats from 56 matches.

There had been talk in the middle of last season that Real Madrid were considering a new manager for the 2022-23 campaign, but Ancelotti ended up leading the team to a league and Champions League double, and he is now the only manager in history to have won the European Cup on four occasions.

LAST SEASON - Champions

Real Madrid proved to be far too strong for the rest of the competition in La Liga last season, boasting a record of 26 wins, eight draws and four defeats from 38 matches, which saw them collect 86 points.

Ancelotti's side were 13 points ahead of second-place Barcelona and 15 clear of Atletico in third, with the title secured at the end of April when they recorded a 4-0 win over Espanyol.

Real Madrid actually drew their final two league games of the season against Cadiz and Real Betis, with Ancelotti rotating his squad for the Champions League final.

Los Blancos secured the European Cup by beating Liverpool in France, while they also had famous successes over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City en route to winning the competition.

Real Madrid also lifted the Spanish Super Cup by beating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the final, but they were knocked out by Athletic in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.

Not too many expected Los Blancos to be a major force in La Liga last term, while they were not considered to be among the favourites for the Champions League at the start of the campaign, having lost influential centre-backs in the shape of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos last summer.

A quiet transfer window saw only David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga arrive, but the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, Luka Modric, Benzema and Vinicius Junior all had spectacular campaigns for the club.

PREDICTION

Barcelona will be right in the mix for the title this season, with the Catalan outfit enjoying a strong transfer window, but we just have a feeling that Real Madrid will have enough to retain the championship.

Rudiger and Tchouameni have been very smart additions to what is already a hugely talented squad, with Real Madrid looking strong at the back and in midfield, while they have one of the best centre-forwards in world football in Benzema, in addition to one of the most exciting wide attackers in the shape of Vinicius.

Real Madrid could end up falling short in the Champions League this term, and their battle with Barcelona, and potentially Atletico, could go right to the wire, but we are backing Ancelotti to lead the famous club to a 36th La Liga title and a second in succession.

VERDICT: Champions