La Liga 2026-27: Madrid Turn to Mourinho to Stop Barcelona
Listen to the story
La Liga's 2026-27 season is about to begin, and Real Madrid are hoping to end Barcelona's recent success.
Barcelona finished as champions of the previous season and go into the new campaign as the team to beat. Their form and key players will be closely watched by fans and journalists.
Real Madrid have made a major change by appointing José Mourinho as their new coach. Mourinho is well known in football for his past work with several top European clubs, and his return to management has attracted a lot of attention.
Many people are asking whether Mourinho can help Madrid win back the title they lost to Barcelona. His coaching style and experience are seen as important factors heading into the new season.
Alongside the usual preview of the league, experts have shared computer-based predictions for how the 2026-27 season might unfold. These predictions use statistics to guess the likely final standings of the teams, though nothing is certain until the games are played.
As the new season approaches, all eyes will be on whether Barcelona can defend their title, or if Madrid, under Mourinho, will manage to dethrone them.
Vocabulary7 words
- season
- the period of time when a sport competition takes place
- champions
- the winners of the last competition
- coach
- the person who trains and leads a sports team
- title
- the official prize for winning a competition
- preview
- information given before something starts, like a season
- predictions
- guesses, often based on data, about future results
- dethrone
- to take a position of power or success away from someone
Quiz
Answer key
1. To dethrone Barcelona and win the title 2. José Mourinho 3. To guess how the season might end
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
La Liga's 2026-27 _____ is about to begin, and Real Madrid are hoping to end Barcelona's recent success.
Barcelona finished as _____ of the previous season and go into the new campaign as the team to beat.
Real Madrid have made a major change by appointing José Mourinho as their new _____.
Many people are asking whether Mourinho can help Madrid win back the _____ they lost to Barcelona.
Alongside the usual _____ of the league, experts have shared computer-based _____ for how the 2026-27 season might unfold.
As the new season approaches, all eyes will be on whether Barcelona can defend their title, or if Madrid, under Mourinho, will manage to _____ them.
Discussion questions
- Why might a big club like Real Madrid choose an experienced coach like Mourinho?
- Do you think computer predictions are useful in sports? Why or why not?
- What qualities do you think make a good football coach?
- How important is it for a team to have a 'rival' like Barcelona and Madrid do?