Madrid, Aug. 10 -- As La Liga kicks off next weekend, the traditional big three of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will again look to dominate, while the rest of the table appears set for fierce battles both to qualify for Europe and avoid relegation.
What made last season so tense in Spain's top flight was not the title race, which Barcelona won comfortably ahead of Real Madrid, but the battle to stay up.
Girona and Mallorca were unfortunate to go down with 41 and 42 points, respectively, tallies that would often be enough for survival, while only four points separated 10th-placed Real Sociedad on 46 points from Mallorca in the relegation zone.
Teams such as Osasuna, Sevilla, Elche, Alaves and even Athletic Bilbao all spen...