New eras, tricky agendas

La Liga’s ‘big two’ go into the new Champions League campaign this week with new coaches in Gerardo Martino and Carlo Ancelotti, fresh expensive superstars in Neymar and Gareth Bale, but the same huge expectations as always.

New Barcelona boss Martino’s task looks the tougher, given this is his first season in Europe, and the success that Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and company had under predecessors Josep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova.

Everyone in Catalonia still remembers last April’s 7-0 aggregate pummelling by Bayern Munich too however.