Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico: Who will win La Liga in 2016/17?

Fernando Torres (l) Luis Suarez (c) Karim Benzema (r)

Saturday 20 August 2016 12:29, UK

The new La Liga season gets underway this weekend, so how are the big three title contenders shaping up?

Champions Barcelona start their campaign at home to Real Betis on Sky Sports 3 on Saturday, with Real Madrid travelling to Real Sociedad and Atletico hosting Alaves on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday.

It promises to be another fascinating title race after last season's thrilling finale, so what are Barca, Real and Atletico's prospects for 2016/17?

Barcelona

Ins

Andre Gomes (Valencia, £47.1m), Samuel Umtiti (Lyon, £21.2m), Lucas Digne (Lyon, £14m), Denis Suarez (Villarreal, £2.7m)

Outs

Marc Bartra (Borussia Dortmund, £6.8m), Alen Halilovic (Hamburg, £4.25m), Adriano (Besiktas, £500,000), Christian Tello (Fiorentina, loan), Alex Song (Rubin Kazan, free), Thomas Vermaelen (Roma, loan), Dani Alves (Juventus, free), Martin Montoya (Valencia, free), Sandro Ramirez (Malaga, free)

Why they can win it

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar scored a jaw-dropping 90 La Liga goals between them last season, and they remain the deadliest front three in world football. Luis Enrique has added squad depth, too, with Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez bolstering the midfield, and Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Digne strengthening the defence. It's easy to see why he's calling it his best squad since taking over at Barcelona.

Why they can't

It could be argued that Barcelona are overly-reliant on 'MSN'. Their results tended to dip when the trio were off-colour or injured last season, and while they have strengthened other areas, they still don't have much in reserve in attack. There are still a few weeks of the transfer window left, but could a lack of quality back-up come back to haunt them?

SkyBet title odds: 8/11

Real Madrid

Ins

Alvaro Morata (Juventus, £24m)

Outs

Jese (Paris St Germain, £21m), Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal, £8m), Alvaro Medra (Valencia, £1.3m), Omar Mascarell (Eintracht Frankfurt, £850,000), Jesus Vallejo (Eintracht Frankfurt, loan), Marcos Llorente (Alaves, loan), Burgui (Sporting Gijon, loan), Diego Llorente (Malaga, loan), Borja Mayoral (Wolfsburg, loan), Alvaro Arbeloa (released)

Why they can win it

A single point was all that separated Madrid from Barcelona last season, and their goal tally of 110 was only two lower than their rivals'. They are fine margins, and this time Zinedine Zidane has had a full summer to prepare. The Frenchman knows how to get the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, and the return of Alvaro Morata gives them another exciting attacking option.

Why they can't

Madrid haven't won the title since 2012, and while Zidane won the Champions League just four months into his first job as a head coach, he is inexperienced and still a relatively unknown quantity in the dugout. Morata has been Madrid's only signing and they missed out on Paul Pogba. With the possibility of a transfer ban looming, their options could be limited over the next 12 months.

SkyBet title odds: 5/4

Atletico Madrid

Ins

Kevin Gamerio (Sevilla, £27m), Nicolas Gaitan (Benfica, £21.25m), Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo, £13.6m), Diogo Jota (Pacos Ferreira, £6.1m), Axel Werner (Rafaela, £680,000), Fernando Torres (AC Milan, free)

Outs

Borja Baston (Swansea, £15.5m), Leo Baptistao (Espanyol, £3m), Josuha Guilavogui (Wolfsburg, £2.5m), Jesus Gamez (Newcastle, free), Luciano Vietto (Sevilla, loan), Silvio (Wolves, undisclosed), Axel Werner (Boca Juniors, loan), Matias Kranevitter (Sevilla, loan), Bono (Girona, undisclosed), Andre Moreira (Belenenses, loan), Santos Borre (Villarreal, loan)

Why they can win it

They still have Diego Simeone. The man who masterminded their 2013/14 success has committed to the club for at least another season, and this year they have also kept hold of their key players. Antoine Griezmann will lead the line again having signed a contract extension in June, and Atletico's brilliant defence is intact after conceding just 18 goals in 38 games last season.

Why they can't

In terms of pure talent, Atletico can't compete with their more illustrious rivals. They simply don't have the budget or same level of star quality, and it could be argued that Simeone won't be able to keep them punching above their weight forever. The have bolstered their strike force with the signing of Kevin Gameiro from Sevilla, but they don't have a goalscorer to rival Messi, Suarez and Ronaldo.

SkyBet title odds: 12/1