La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2024/25

[SquirrelJulietGarden]

I can't even believe it. Dembele gave green light for PSG's proposal, which is unbelivable thing. I thought that he was very loyal to the barcelona but it seems he changes his mind about stay in barcleona for another season.
Here's we go dembele gonna leaves from barcelona and join in PSG under luis enrique. My guess if he was interesting to play under enrique. PSG can breathe a sigh of relief as the release clause for the player is not high, which is definitely positive news.

He is a French player and it is not bad to return to his homeland. Playing for PSG and returning to France sounds good if he wants to enjoy his time with his family in France. In addition, PSG are not worse than Barcelona in quality and competitiveness in Champions League if don't say they are better. Salary, I am sure Dembele will receive higher salary in PSG than what he is receiving from Barcelona.

Joao Felix is a prominent player who should be given adequate playing time, but as a result of recent developments, he has been denied this and is being used as a backup player, which is rapidly eroding the player's skills and abilities. He keeps fighting to make the first squad, but the head coach, Diego Simeone, fails to reimburse concentration.

Joao Felix is like an overvalued player and we can see it from his performances for Athletico Madrid, Chelsea and Portugal. He has never shown that he deserves a very high transfer cost which was paid by Athletico Madrid years ago.

If Joao Felix failed in Chelsea, he is not good enough and maybe Diego Simeone was right by not using Joao Felix too often in his club. In Portuguese national team, Joao Felix did not play too well too. If you need example, World Cup 2022 is not his good show.

[ancafe]

Barcelona played well against Real Madrid in the last season and they did played well in past long season too. Xavi needs to help Barcelona play better in Champions League and in Cups. In La Liga, he looks good with his management in Barcelona but to win cups, it requires different skills and I am not sure Xavi already has enough coach experience to win cups.

Overall Barcelona did look good in La Liga, but they failed miserably in the Champions League. Xavi does not yet have experience in the coaching chair and still has a lot to prove, but with the limitations he was able to bring Barcelona to the La Liga title last season, this shows that Xavi has quality as a new coach.

The win in a friendly match will help Barcelona to start a new season in La Liga with good belief in themselves. It shows Barcelona have been at least as strong as they were in the past season, if not yet becoming stronger in this summer.

A friendly match is not a reference for how the team will perform in a real competition, it will only help the coach see the weaknesses of his team. Whether or not Barcelona are strong next season, we will see how far they are able to be consistent in every game and that is where Xavi was actually tested. Real Madrid will not let Barcelona be comfortable in the title race at the end of the season and they will continue to put up a fight to continue to compete with Barcelona, the rivalry between the two will never end in the race for the La Liga title

[Oneandpure]

A friendly match is not a reference for how the team will perform in a real competition, it will only help the coach see the weaknesses of his team. Whether or not Barcelona are strong next season, we will see how far they are able to be consistent in every game and that is where Xavi was actually tested. Real Madrid will not let Barcelona be comfortable in the title race at the end of the season and they will continue to put up a fight to continue to compete with Barcelona, the rivalry between the two will never end in the race for the La Liga title

Usually all football manager not priority what the result on friendly match loss or win its not important because they want to see weakness side from his formation. Real Madrid keep confidence although loss from Barcelona because is pre season match only and not give impact in domestic league.

Its not real formation in friendly match actually the scorer goals from Barcelona Ousmane Dembélé have reached personal verbal agreement for joining with PSG. I think important with friendly match how manager change composition if main player get injured or move to other team and Barcelona have adapt well with other formation if Ousmane Dembélé leaves and join to PSG is real happening.
 

[zaim7413]

To excel in a big club like Real Madrid that has so much rich history, a lot is required. When you look back at players who came through this part you will see the much effort and hard work put in to excel at the club. Arda Giller is young and shows signs of a promising future, I believe he will grow to be one of the best names in the game if he works hard and puts his mind to developing his craft.

Of course, but if in the next season Real Madrid has to replace its coach, then a different plan could occur for most of its players. Real Madrid is likely to part with some of its senior players such as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Nacho Fernández, Daniel Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez in the next 1 to 2 seasons. So of course there will be many differences in terms of the quality of the team that Real Madrid has.

Young players like Arda Güler, Reinier, Bellingham and others would not be guaranteed a place in the main squad for as long if the coach was different. It depends, yes it really depends on the form of each player, but the coach can always adapt his own plans to different players.

Substitution of players in a squad is inevitable, including a coach. Real Madrid's time together with Ancelotti leaves only one more year, after which Ancelotti will take charge of the Brazilian national team. The new coach has his own ideology and flagship players, changes in the squad will occur every change of coach. Players like Modric, Kroos and other names may no longer adorn the Real Madrid squad due to the age factor and also the tactics used by coaches who rely more on young players.

Real Madrid had anticipated their departure by bringing in several young and quality players, their qualities could be used as new Galaticos in the Real Madrid squad with a new coach. The coach has full control over his decision to organize the main squad, Real Madrid must find a replacement for Ancelotti who can develop the young players they currently have to keep their quality at a high level.

[ginsan]

That's the main reason but i remind you that if mbappe's price can still be negotiated. Liverpool is making a huge step compared with real madrid. I gonna wait till the final price of mbappe gonna be released. Will it make real madrid interesting to sign him as a permanent transfer? This is the most interesting to be waited. I meant if everything about mbappe is still remain uncertain at this moment. This guy is always making everything become even more complicated than before.
Buying mbappe with such price is actually adding financial issue to the real madrid. The club didn't have a lot of cash to buy him. The club shall sell something to get more funds in buying him from PSG.
Real madrid was not PSG which is owned by billionaire with unlimited money. That's why perez was not rushing in any decision about mbappe. The club prefers to wait till next year to get him with free agent.

Liverpool emerged as an option to loan Mbappe, not to buy him so it is likely that psg is still considering it if no offer arrives before the transfer market closes. In addition, Mbappe price has been set above 200 million euros for teams looking to sign him in this season's transfer window. Real Madrid didn't even move to make a bid for PSG to sign Mbappe in this transfer window as they could sign Mbappe for free next season.

So with the drama that never ends, it is very likely that PSG will accept an offer from Liverpool to borrow Mbappe in this transfer window because Liverpool are willing to pay PSG to borrow Mbappe. I will see whether Liverpool's attempt to borrow Mbappe will be successful or not, because all decisions must of course be agreed upon with players and club owners.

[tusandii]

For the Champions League, it looks like Manchester United can still survive at least until the quarter-finals or even the semi-finals if Erik ten Hag and the players can show their best.
But when Mbappe can actually join Real Madrid this summer, Real Madrid's strength will increase significantly, especially for the attack line, maybe even sharper to penetrate the enemy's defense.

For La Liga, Real Madrid has become the king who rotates with Barcelona, maybe the nickname of the king is more appropriate in La Liga, not the Champions League.

Right now I'm not going to go so far as to talk about whether or not they'll be able to perform at their best in the Champions League, because I have to first see how they shape up in the actual competition. Indeed now we have seen their performances in pre-season matches, but for me it is not a real measure for anyone whether they will perform well or not. This applies to all clubs that will participate in the Champions League later, not just the 2 clubs being discussed here.
I wouldn't say no to today's predictions either, because surely we're going to have different things to say.

Well, after all, the Champions League will also start some time in the future, so there is still enough time so that every club that has qualified can prepare and put on a good playing performance.
Pre-season matches are used to test the game of each player which when the domestic or Champions League starts they can adapt and play optimally.
We also cannot use pre-season matches to assess the strength of a football club considering that on average clubs only field their new players or young players.

La Liga matches kick off on August 12 and there are only about 12 days left to open.
For the opening will feature Almeria vs Rayo.

[bering]

I can't even believe it. Dembele gave green light for PSG's proposal, which is unbelivable thing. I thought that he was very loyal to the barcelona but it seems he changes his mind about stay in barcleona for another season.
Here's we go dembele gonna leaves from barcelona and join in PSG under luis enrique. My guess if he was interesting to play under enrique. PSG can breathe a sigh of relief as the release clause for the player is not high, which is definitely positive news.
I think that dembele has a problem in barcelona and it was forcing him to take such a decision. I can't even understand how PSG is trying to disrupt barcelona at this moment. I hope that dembele will be lucky enough when he gonna play for PSG next season.
Seeing so many people gave same reaction as me. They don't believe if this thing is happening. Dembele can be considered as one of the important player in barcelona.

BREAKING: Ousmane Dembélé says yes to Paris Saint-Germain! Initial green light to the proposal has arrived 🚨🔴🔵

PSG verbally agreed five year deal with Dembélé’s agent.

PSG have sent formal letter to inform Barcelona, now trying best way to close the deal — depends on timing.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1685792386322948096

Dembele was often to says he want to staying at Barcelona before and previously there was a Arabian club who want him and he was decide to refuse the offers from that club and actually PSG was targetting him since since a few months ago but i thought the negotiation will never be happend but PSG has been showing that they were very serious who want him so maybe that's why Dembele will starting to considering moved to PSG and according to the news Dembele has release clause 50 millions and this want to utilized by PSG to gets him and reported Dembele and PSG currently has personal agreement and Dembele will accept 5 years contract duration and apparently in the near future this transfer will be happened

[Despairo]

Dembele was often to says he want to staying at Barcelona before and previously there was a Arabian club who want him and he was decide to refuse the offers from that club and actually PSG was targetting him since since a few months ago but i thought the negotiation will never be happend but PSG has been showing that they were very serious who want him so maybe that's why Dembele will starting to considering moved to PSG and according to the news Dembele has release clause 50 millions and this want to utilized by PSG to gets him and reported Dembele and PSG currently has personal agreement and Dembele will accept 5 years contract duration and apparently in the near future this transfer will be happened

It's really crucial for Barcelona because they only have Raphinha who's can play in right winger position and he's not good as Dembele. This is not good, Raphinha will be forced to play as a starter and Torres will become a substitute player, Barcelona's right winger isn't solid enough. They need to find a good right winger player to secure their trophy for the next season. Will Barcelona sign Antoine Griezmann?

[Velvet78]

Barcelona were so close to having Dembele's release clause going up to 100 million euros. Today must be the last day for it to be 50 million euros. But it looks like PSG have made a big progress and they are likely to finish the deal today.

After Dembele leaves it is said Barcelona will use that money to sign Cancelo. You know Cancelo was loaned to Bayern Munich previously and he seems like an unwanted player for Manchester City. This is really an opportunity for Barcelona to sign him.

[len01]

A friendly match is not a reference for how the team will perform in a real competition, it will only help the coach see the weaknesses of his team. Whether or not Barcelona are strong next season, we will see how far they are able to be consistent in every game and that is where Xavi was actually tested. Real Madrid will not let Barcelona be comfortable in the title race at the end of the season and they will continue to put up a fight to continue to compete with Barcelona, the rivalry between the two will never end in the race for the La Liga title

Usually all football manager not priority what the result on friendly match loss or win its not important because they want to see weakness side from his formation. Real Madrid keep confidence although loss from Barcelona because is pre season match only and not give impact in domestic league.

Its not real formation in friendly match actually the scorer goals from Barcelona Ousmane Dembélé have reached personal verbal agreement for joining with PSG. I think important with friendly match how manager change composition if main player get injured or move to other team and Barcelona have adapt well with other formation if Ousmane Dembélé leaves and join to PSG is real happening.
 

Indeed, a friendly match cannot be a reference for a team's performance, but this match is very important for a coach to be able to assess the quality of the team and fix some weak points. So far the Barcelona team has experienced a lot of development and they are a team that is quite active in improving.
And regarding Ousmane Dembélé going to PSG, this is a little confusing because some time ago the player had said that he still wanted to play for Barcelona but now everything has changed.

exactly, this pre-season match is just like to set a strategy and see the performance of the players after the holidays did not play last season and also even though this is a pre-season match but they appear serious because that is what the coaches expect to see to what extent they rely on their strengths and strategies to perform well next summer. regarding Dembele, it seems he is not sure that he will go to PSG because currently Barcelona still wants him to stay and strengthen his team and everything was proven in the match against Real Madrid yesterday, Dembele was able to contribute 1 score.
many rumors spread that Dembele will leave but all of that is just uncertain news and we have to believe that this season Barcelona are required to be stronger if they want to advance to the UCL and if letting Dembele go is a mistake.

[Google+]

Barcelona looked stunning when they beat Real Madrid. One of Barcelona players immediately became hot news on social media. He is Fermin Lopez, who is one of the graduates from the La Masia academy who performed quite well in yesterday's El Clasico match. I think Xavi will continue to provide opportunities for young players to show their talent in pre-season games.

Barcelona managed to beat Real Madrid with a big score which made Barcelona even more confident that next season Barcelona would be able to defend the title. But for real madrid they have gaps they can improve in this transfer window, If Real Madrid don't do it I think Barcelona will easily beat them next season.

[CLS63]

Atletico Madrid were a much more competitive team for titles in the past. Simeone was there again. They won so many titles in his management as well but those days are long gone now. Of course the same system doesn't work forever for a team. It looks like we are nearing the end of Simeone's time at Atletico Madrid as well.

He has only one year left here and there is still no offer by Atletico Madrid for an extension. This means they will probably wait and see if there will be any improvement in team performance.

Atletico Madrid have a really strong squad in fact. They have the strength to be in the La Liga title race. Simeone should find a way to make this team become more consistent this season. Besides their Champions League effort has also been not decent at all.

[Litzki1990]

Barcelona looked stunning when they beat Real Madrid. One of Barcelona players immediately became hot news on social media. He is Fermin Lopez, who is one of the graduates from the La Masia academy who performed quite well in yesterday's El Clasico match. I think Xavi will continue to provide opportunities for young players to show their talent in pre-season games.

Barcelona managed to beat Real Madrid with a big score which made Barcelona even more confident that next season Barcelona would be able to defend the title. But for real madrid they have gaps they can improve in this transfer window, If Real Madrid don't do it I think Barcelona will easily beat them next season.

It was only a friendly match though it was a friendly match but this match was very important for both the teams as it was through this match that both the teams got a better understanding of their squad's strengths and weaknesses which was much needed before the start of the season. Real Madrid lost against Barcelona and hopefully they realize their mistakes and they get enough time to work on those mistakes. Real Madrid may look to bring in a new player this season if they feel they need a new player somewhere after losing against Barcelona. Barcelona and Real Madrid will be a good match in La Liga as the season has not yet started so it is not possible to tell which team will be ahead of the title.

[HajiBagi]

It is clear now that Mbappe wants to stay in Europe and he is aiming at Real Madrid after turning down 700 million Euros from Saudi Arabia and this I think is a clear signal to Real to move fast and get him.If Real is not fast I think Liverpool or any other team who will act faster and pay a bit more money which in my honest opinion is well worth it for Mbappe as the team who will get him can sell him after a couple of years even double the offer that Saudi made right now so it is the best investment any team can make and in fact if Real gets him will make a big impact in Real game play especially in the midfield where Real is clearly lacking at the moment.

Real Madrid must move quickly to sign mbappe before other clubs swoop in and steal him away, but in my opinion, they can take their time because, according to a rumour I've heard, mbappe refused to sign with any club other than real Madrid, which is why when AL-HILAL offered him 300 million euros, he turned it down. I believe mbappe has only focused on one thing this time, which is that he isn't after money but rather his career. Real Madrid's preseason game against Barcelona demonstrated the need for a strong player like mbappe because the club had numerous scoring opportunities but kept hitting the crossbar without success. If mbappe been on the field, however, I believe a goal would have been scored.

Previously, when Barcelona played Arsenal in a preseason match, I believed that Barcelona was not in good shape because Arsenal defeated Barcelona 5-3, but this match has shown me that we shouldn't judge a team based solely on their first performance. After all, in my opinion, Real Madrid is in a better position than Barcelona, and Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-0 without allowing Real Madrid to score even a single goal. My suggestion as a true Madrid supporter is that the team should do everything in its power to recruit mbappe as soon as possible; otherwise, I don't think they can even make the semifinals of the Champions League next year.

[Tony116]

Yes and also, don't make this defeat the reason why Real Madrid need a high quality pure attacking player. If you still attribute this defeat to that factor, then of course Mbappe name will eventually come up again. In fact, Real Madrid have signed Joselu to be positioned as a center forward. So yes, just hope for a real match in the new season later, at least you can hope Joselu can play with the contribution as expected. Because that way, it can at least close the hole that has been worried about pure strikers who have good goal instincts.

First of all, I want to make sure that people actually understand it does not matter because it was a friendly match. But winning a match against Real Madrid is going to give any team the confidence going forward in the actual competitive matches.

I agree that Real Madrid did attack a lot in this match. Just look at the number of shots they took. 29 against that 12 of Barcelona. But the shot accuracy is far better from Barcelona. Because Barcelona was able to have seven shots on target while Real Madrid had only five. And in the end, Barcelona was able to win the match by 3-0. Nonetheless, it is wise not to excessively ruminate over this outcome, as it remains essential to acknowledge the friendly nature of the match rather than its competitiveness.

I see that there is a difference this time in the El Clasico match, even though this match is at the level of a friendly match. however, there is always a battle of prestige when these two teams meet. IMO, in this match Ancelotti is really testing the system he is implementing, maybe for Ancelonti it is not too important a matter of winning or losing. which in essence, seems like he's only focused on the pattern of the system he's trying to implement.

in 3 pre-season matches, Don Carlo always uses the same pattern. without Benzema, like it or not, it looks like Anceloti will have to concoct a new formula for his team's squad. what I see, Ancelotti is trying to use a formation pattern with 4-3-1-2, maybe to maximize the duet of Rodygo and Vini Jr.  while Bellingham, became a playmaker in three pre-season matches. plus, rotating some of the players. ideally, if this match is an important match, Madrid will return to using its flagship formation with 4-3-3. but this time it was different, despite the fact that Madrid already had Joselu who was always a centre-forward. but the fact is, the trainer is still experimenting with the new system.

Uniquely, Xavi uses the same pattern. whereas, these two coaches are always characteristic of the 4-3-3 pattern. for me, this victory is not a great victory. despite the fact, Barcelona won. we will know the real match, after the 2023/2024 season has started.

I understand that a lot of players are very interested to see how El Clásico is played. Regardless of it being a friendly match. But I just don’t see the importance of a friendly match. If friendly match should be used to give the players that do not get loaded enough play time a match to play so that they can gain some experience. I know that El Clásico does have a different taste to it. After all, it is the legendary El Clásico. But I just don’t see myself giving a friendly match in importance, to be honest.

I know that Barcelona have played really well in this match. But does it actually matter? Because this is not going to help them unless they are truly play like this and play like this consistently throughout the whole season. I just don’t want Barcelona to fall into a false sense of security that they were able to win the preseason match against Real Madrid so they will also be able to win the competitive matches as well. And at the same time, I am pretty sure that if this is the same approach taken by Barcelona in the competitive match Barcelona is definitely going to lose.

[xzone]

Barcelona looked stunning when they beat Real Madrid. One of Barcelona players immediately became hot news on social media. He is Fermin Lopez, who is one of the graduates from the La Masia academy who performed quite well in yesterday's El Clasico match. I think Xavi will continue to provide opportunities for young players to show their talent in pre-season games.

Barcelona managed to beat Real Madrid with a big score which made Barcelona even more confident that next season Barcelona would be able to defend the title. But for real madrid they have gaps they can improve in this transfer window, If Real Madrid don't do it I think Barcelona will easily beat them next season.

I hadn't heard of Fermin Lopez before. There was nothing that caught my attention. But after he scored a goal, I did some research. He is a very young and ambitious player.
If he gets a chance to play, I'm sure he'll improve a lot. May be mentioned a lot in the coming years

[shogun47]

What you say are big statements, but I think Something needs to be highlighted here, Messi is a football genius, there is no doubt about it , he has an incredible vision of the game , he makes his passes and as you say, he reads the game an enormous speed and makes others understand his style of play, that's why he was born with that talent, and When you are born with talent you only need to exploit it , unlike CR7 that he has worked hard to achieve all his life his technique and his way of playing, I see that Mesi doesn't even care about his age to play, but CR7 does , in fact these two men left Europe because of the bad treatment they were given at one point, both Messi and CR7 had a hard time times because of their clubs, fans, among others, so this is not being well valued despite the things they have done to us when they show their game , and it is a pity that Messi has left, but you have to fully blame the PSG, he said it , spent two very long years being unhappy and not to mention what CR7 passed at MU.

I don't like reveling in the past and that is why I find it difficult to grant a player extra freedom or excuse mistakes because they played good in the past.

The thing with Messi at PSG was that they booed at him when he actually was the best scorer in Ligue 1 and only on the last game day or so Mbappe got one more scoring point I think (goals + assists). Shouting somebody down who is the second best or the best scorer of the league is quite stupid and Messi always had his actions in games that were genius. Essentially in every game, but most of the crowd couldn't see it.

Ronaldo suffered from his own arrogant behavior at Manchester United. You can fly high when you are arrogant but good at what you do, meaning when you score all the time and that is what he did for Real Madrid. It wasn't possible to shout him down because he scored the goals the team needed. This changed at Manchester United (2nd term). Ronaldo dropped in performance, but still behaved as if he was the king. Even worse, he still claimed it and behaved like it. Unlike Messi, who also gave away penalties and free kicks and some of the chance he would have taken on his own, knowing that his stats might be a little worse but it is good for the team spirit.

Respecting these players for what they have done is one thing and you are right about that, but when they play worse or bad, then they deserve the same criticism as everyone else for as long as they themselves want to play highly competitive soccer.

Messi also adapted a lot over time, which I liked about him and showed that he is a very intelligent player, not trying the same stuff he did with 23 years of age, but playing even smarter with more intelligent and deadly passes and small movements.

I will miss the most dangerous Barcelona there ever was when Messi peaked for the first time. That team was crazy. Sometimes it almost looked like a computer game and felt unfair towards the opponent.

[hyudien]

Real Madrid must move quickly to sign mbappe before other clubs swoop in and steal him away, but in my opinion, they can take their time because, according to a rumour I've heard, mbappe refused to sign with any club other than real Madrid, which is why when AL-HILAL offered him 300 million euros, he turned it down. I believe mbappe has only focused on one thing this time, which is that he isn't after money but rather his career. Real Madrid's preseason game against Barcelona demonstrated the need for a strong player like mbappe because the club had numerous scoring opportunities but kept hitting the crossbar without success. If mbappe been on the field, however, I believe a goal would have been scored.

Whether it's money or career, then why does Mbappe still want to end contact with PSG if it's not for money? which if it lasts until next season means that Mbappe still has severance pay to get. Then rejected Al Hillal offer as there was an agreement behind the scenes that Mbappe family had collaborated with Madrid, especially Florentino Perez. And this is what convinced PSG that the two parties mutually agreed on this matter. If you look at the strong reasons for Madrid's reaction, which is no longer aggressive in responding to Mbappe sale.  
Florentino is a smart guy and he knows why not move on to buy Mbappe because it costs a lot of money while waiting for next season is much more profitable. It's not an urgent matter whether or not Madrid needs Mbappe but a financial issue that must be considered. I'm sure Madrid can afford the sale but Florentino Pérez is just being realistic. Or what if the scheme goes like this? At the end of the transfer market closing, it turns out that Madrid surprised us by buying Mbappe. So, there's no need to rush everything will go as Perez expects.

[babo]

Real Madrid must move quickly to sign mbappe before other clubs swoop in and steal him away, but in my opinion, they can take their time because, according to a rumour I've heard, mbappe refused to sign with any club other than real Madrid, which is why when AL-HILAL offered him 300 million euros, he turned it down. I believe mbappe has only focused on one thing this time, which is that he isn't after money but rather his career. Real Madrid's preseason game against Barcelona demonstrated the need for a strong player like mbappe because the club had numerous scoring opportunities but kept hitting the crossbar without success. If mbappe been on the field, however, I believe a goal would have been scored.

Previously, when Barcelona played Arsenal in a preseason match, I believed that Barcelona was not in good shape because Arsenal defeated Barcelona 5-3, but this match has shown me that we shouldn't judge a team based solely on their first performance. After all, in my opinion, Real Madrid is in a better position than Barcelona, and Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-0 without allowing Real Madrid to score even a single goal. My suggestion as a true Madrid supporter is that the team should do everything in its power to recruit mbappe as soon as possible; otherwise, I don't think they can even make the semifinals of the Champions League next year.

The player had a farsighted view, refusing all that money is a clear message and it's really an opening in all respects
Honestly, a player like this should be taken immediately without a word, because he proves to be loyal and above all eager to play with you

[Jody.Drummer]

Right now I'm not going to go so far as to talk about whether or not they'll be able to perform at their best in the Champions League, because I have to first see how they shape up in the actual competition. Indeed now we have seen their performances in pre-season matches, but for me it is not a real measure for anyone whether they will perform well or not. This applies to all clubs that will participate in the Champions League later, not just the 2 clubs being discussed here.
I wouldn't say no to today's predictions either, because surely we're going to have different things to say.

Well, after all, the Champions League will also start some time in the future, so there is still enough time so that every club that has qualified can prepare and put on a good playing performance.
Pre-season matches are used to test the game of each player which when the domestic or Champions League starts they can adapt and play optimally.
We also cannot use pre-season matches to assess the strength of a football club considering that on average clubs only field their new players or young players.

La Liga matches kick off on August 12 and there are only about 12 days left to open.
For the opening will feature Almeria vs Rayo.

Yes, the matches they have in this pre-season are to test their new players, and measure whether they fit the coach's criteria or not. But losing or winning is not a measure for me, because for some coaches may not apply their best strategy or in short they don't care whether they will win or lose the match, the most important thing is that they can see how far their squad has developed, and whether they think it is enough or not.
Indeed, for some people, supporters for example, they want to see their team win even if it's just a pre-season match, but they must also understand.