Barcelona ‘motivated as favourites’ to win third straight La Liga title, warns Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique insists there will be no complacency from Barcelona in their pursuit of a third straight La Liga title. Quique Garcia / EPA

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has said his players are not complacent but desperate to win a third consecutive Primera Liga title this season.

The Catalan club have only twice before finished top of the Primera Liga three years running, with Johan Cruyff leading his free-flowing side to glory in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994, before Pep Guardiola repeated the feat with his ‘tiki-taka’ team in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Barca begin their campaign at home to Real Betis on Saturday, with kick-off at 8.15pm UAE time, and Enrique has no concern about his squad’s determination to be champions again.

“We are motivated to win the league title for a third year running as it is something that has rarely been achieved in the club’s history,” Enrique told the club’s website.

Andy Mitten’s Primera Liga preview series:

• Barcelona: Andre Gomes adds depth to title-or-bust season

• Real Madrid: Inactivity mar Real Madrid off-season

• Atletico Madrid: Stable, confident Atletico will be near top again

• The rest: Outside of Big Three, how will the best of the rest fare?

“We start as favourites because we won the league last season, but as of today we all start with the same points. There can always be surprises, so we have to wait and see.

“Our objective is to win (the league) for the third time in a row — that’s what motivates us — but there are some big clubs which haven’t won the league for many years and I’m sure they’ll put pressure on.”

Barca looked in ominous form across the two legs of their 5-0 aggregate victory over Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup, but Enrique enters the league season with concerns in central defence.

Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu are both out injured, while the departures of Thomas Vermaelen and Marc Bartra mean the only available centre-backs this weekend are Gerard Pique and summer signing Samuel Umtiti.

Real Betis’ new manager Gus Poyet has said it could present a good moment to take on the champions, but says the task remains formidable.

“People say better to play now, at first, against Barcelona,” Poyet said. “Everyone wants to have the magic formula to win at Barca in their stadium but it is not so easy.

“We are convinced that we can do it, we are prepared, we have no excuses and will try to do it. What we do want is to start now.”

Betis finished 10th last season and Poyet is targeting another top-half finish with his side, who have brought in Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Manu Herrera and Dnipro forward Roman Zozulya this summer.

The former Sunderland manager, however, believes the race for the title will feature the same three teams again.

“Unless a Leicester, which happens very rarely, appears, the candidates are the usual — Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid,” Poyet said.

“For another team to get into that fight would mean an unexpected amount of consistency, I see as difficult. Those three clubs, they are a bit above the rest.”

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, the side’s expected to be Barcelona’s biggest challengers again, do not start their campaigns until Sunday.

Real, the Uefa Champions League winners last season, travel to Real Sociedad, with Diego Simeone’s Atletico playing host to Alaves.

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