Real Madrid will kick off their defence of their Spanish league title at home to Valencia on August 18 or 19, the Spanish football federation said on Tuesday after the draw to determine the season’s fixtures.
Real were held 0-0 in the Estadio Bernabeu by Valencia last season, but still won the Liga title with a record-breaking 100 points total, with Valencia finishing third.
Barcelona, who finished second last season, will start at home to Real Sociedad.
The fixtures for the opening round of matches, to be played from August 18 to 20, are Real Madrid v Valencia, Barcelona v Real Sociedad, Sevilla v Getafe, Athletic Bilbao v Betis, Levante v Atletico Madrid, Zaragoza v Valladolid, Celta Vigo v Malaga, Mallorca v Espanyol, Rayo Vallecano v Granada and Deportivo Coruna v Osasuna.
Barca will receive Real in the first Clasico of the season on October 7, with the return match in Madrid on March 3.
The Spanish federation also announced, controversially, that Real coach Jose Mourinho and his Barca counterpart Tito Vilanova had been pardoned for their ugly scuffle in August 2011 at the end of a tense Supercup clash, when Mourinho poked Vilanova in the eye and the Catalan responded with a slap.
Mourinho received a two-match touchline ban for the fracas, Vilanova a one-match ban. However, these punishments have now been annulled, despite the opposition of Barca president Sandro Rosell.
