Villareal will be hoping to improve on a disappointing 7th place finish last year when Champions League commitments appeared to stretch their small squad to the maximum.

The arrival of Robert Pires from Arsenal had Villareal fans dreaming of challenging at the top of the table once again this season, but knee injuries to Pires and central defender Gonzalo Rodriguez could dash their hopes.

UEFA Cup holders Seville will be looking to build on last season’s success with the captures of Schalke midfielder Christian Poulsen, Stuttgart defender Andreas Hinkel and Monaco striker Javier
Chevanton.

Arguably though, Seville’s biggest success of the summer was keeping star midfielder Daniel Alves out of the clutches of English giants Liverpool, which may give them the edge in the fight for fourth place.

The battle to avoid relegation will be equally as close as the fight at the other end of the table, especially if last season is anything to go by.

Traditionally, newly promoted clubs struggle to cope with the step up in class that goes hand in hand with promotion and the difficulties in attracting the calibre of player that can help them cope with the transition. That spells trouble for the just-promoted Gimnastic Tarragona, Recreativo Huelva, and Levante, who will surely be the favourites for relegation this season.

Recreativo Huelva and Levante will be hoping that their recent adventures in the top division will have them better prepared for survival this time around, however Gimnastic Tarragona are making their first appearance in the top flight for over 50 years and could find the going tough.

Real Betis struggled last year and will be hoping for a much better season this time around. However rumours continue to persist about the imminent departures of star winger Joaquin and striker Ricardo Olivira,losses that could spell trouble for the coming season.

Racing Santander and Espanyol also look set for another fight against relegation, having experienced last season’s battle should see them escape for another year.

LA LIGA 2006-07 PREDICTIONS

TOP OF THE HEAP (WELCOME TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)
1. Barcelona – Expect Ronaldinho and Co to serve up the hat-trick of titles, albeit by a slimmer margin that last season’s 12 points.
2. Real Madrid – Lots of goals with a strike force including Raul, Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo, but in transition and need time to gel.
3. Valencia – The purse strings have been loosened in the transfer market, but still a couple of players short of catching Barca.
4. Sevilla – Expect them to take advantage of Villareal’s early-season injury woes to snag the last Champions League spot.

ROCK BOTTOM (DREADED RELEGATION)
18. Levante – May be the best equipped out of the newly promoted sides to stay up but I think they will just miss out.
19. (r) Recreativo Huelva – Relegation looms for the newly promoted side as they struggle to attract the quality needed to stay the course.
20. (r) Gimnastic Tarragona – 56 years since last appearance in the top flight, and it’s going to be a short stay. Expect relegation.