Barcelona open La Liga title defence at Elche aiming for third straight crown

Barcelona travel to Elche on Sunday to open the defence of their La Liga title, with Hansi Flick's side aiming to make it three championships in a row. The Catalans have had a slightly delayed start to the new season, largely due to players returning late from the World Cup, but have been boosted by several summer signings.

Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi arrived fairly early in the window, while Flick's side have since added Jesse Bisiwu and Rodrigo Hernández. The arrival of the Manchester City man in particular is being seen as a game-changer and will boost the club's hopes of adding more silverware this season.

With the squad still taking shape ahead of the campaign, the question on the minds of supporters is whether the Catalans can finish top of the pile again. Barcelona's faithful will get their first answer when the league gets under way this weekend.