Clasico Dates for Real Madrid, Barcelona Set After 2017-18 La Liga Schedule Draw

The eagerly awaited first Clásico of the 2017/18 La Liga season between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be a pre-Christmas showdown, after the annual fixture draw on Friday lunchtime set the game for matchday 17 - weekend of December 22/23 - at the Bernabeu.

The return Clásico at Camp Nou could have huge title race ramifications after being scheduled for matchweek 36 - weekend of May 5/6 - just two games before the end of the season.

Before any of that, reigning champions Real must travel to north to Galicia to face Deportivo La Coruna to begin the defense of their title, while new Barça coach Ernesto Valverde will begin his first La Liga campaign with the Blaugrana when Real Betis visit Camp Nou on match day one.

Atletico Madrid kick off their season against newly promoted Girona. The game was drawn to be played in Madrid, but a prior agreement will see it reversed as a result of the building work still being carried out at Atletico's new Wanda Metropolitano stadium.