MADRID — Spanish soccer’s ‘El Clasico’ encounters between Barcelona and Real Madrid will happen in December and April, two of the most anticipated games of the 2016-17 Primera Division season whose fixtures were announced Friday.
Defending champion Barca hosts Real on Dec. 4 at the Camp Nou. The reverse fixture will take place on April 23, at the Bernabeu stadium, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed after the draw. As the La Liga season kicks off, Barca will begin its title defense at home to Real Betis on Aug. 21.
Prior to that, the Catalan giant takes on Sevilla in the two-legged final of the Spanish Super Cup. That trophy pits the league champions against the King’s Cup winner, or in this case the runner-up, since Barca won that title, too. The opening leg will be played on Aug. 14 at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium while the return match will happen three days later in Barcelona.
League runner-up Real Madrid kick off its campaign, in what will be Zinedine Zidane’s first full season in charge, away to Real Sociedad. Deportivo Alaves will mark its return to Spain’s top flight after a 10-year absence with a clash against Atletico Madrid at the Calderon Stadium.
Atletico visits Barcelona in round five, on Sept. 21, and Barca will travel to the Calderon stadium on Feb. 26. The first Madrid derby will take place on Nov. 20 at Atletico while Real will host its city rival on April 9.
CD Leganes, runner-up to Deportivo Alaves in the Segunda Division, will play its first ever La Liga game at Celta Vigo on Aug. 21 while Osasuna, the last team to be promoted, visits Malaga in the opening weekend.
The last round of La Liga games will be on May 21, 2016.
Belgium sacks coach Wilmots
Belgium sacked national coach Marc Wilmots Friday after its highly fancied team of talents failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals at Euro 2016 this month, Belgian FA president Francois De Keersmaecker said.
A search was under way for a coach with international experience to take over before a friendly against Spain on Sept. 1 ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
He thanked Wilmots for his achievements over the past four years and said an understanding had been reached over Wilmots contract, which had a compensation clause if he were sacked.
Shevchenko Ukraine coach
Ukraine’s former striker Andriy Shevchenko was appointed national team manager Friday to replace Mykhailo Fomenko who quit after Euro 2016, the country’s soccer federation said.
The 39-year-old, Ukraine’s record goalscorer who also played for Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan and Chelsea, was officially presented by federation president Andriy Pavelko at a news conference.
Fomenko resigned after Ukraine finished bottom of Group C without a point at the European Championship, having failed to score a goal in its three matches in France.
