Real Madrid begin La Liga title defence at Sociedad, El Clasico on October 25

Bengaluru, September 1: La Liga champions Real Madrid begin their title defence away at Real Sociedad on September 20 and play arch-rivals Barcelona in the new season's first El Clasico on October 25 after the 2020-21 fixtures were released.

The second El Clasico of the season will be played at Real Madrid's home ground of Santiago Bernanebu on April 11.

Whether Lionel Messi features in either match remains to be seen, with the Argentinian currently on a strike and refusing to train as he tries to force his way out of the club this summer, with former Premier League champions Manchester City rumoured to be a future destination.

LA LIGA FIXTURES | Messi skips Barca training

If Messi does not stay at Camp Nou, it will be the first El Clasico in many years not to feature the two superstars of Spanish League -- Messi and his famed rival Cristiano Ronaldo in many years.

Messi had missed the first El Clasico at home in 2018, but that was due to an arm injury.

The last time an El Clasico was played sans the two super stars was way back in December, 2007.

Till now, all the El Clasicos have been all about the famed rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo.

🌟 25th October (Camp Nou)
🌟 11th April (Bernabeu)

Save the dates for 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩... #ElClasico! 🌍🍿#LaLigaSantander

— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) August 31, 2020

The 2020-21 La Liga season kicks off on September 11 but Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla do not begin their fixtures until a fortnight later as more rest is allowed for teams involved in last stagess of UEFA's premier competitions -- Champions League and Europa League -- which only ended in late August.

The champions' derby with Atletico is set for December 12 at the Santiago Bernabeu and the return leg on March 7 at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico host Granada, Barcelona's first game under new coach Ronald Koeman will be at home to Villarreal while Europa League winners Sevilla travel to newly-promoted Cadiz.

All matches will continue to be staged behind closed doors and according to strict medical regulations aimed at reducing the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The first games of the new season will be played on the weekend of September 12, exactly eight weeks after the 2019-20 La Liga campaign ended on July 19.

(With inputs from Agencies)