Guillem Balague's five upcoming La Liga players to watch this season

By Guillem Balague, Spanish Football Expert & Columnist @GuillemBalague

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague names the five players who will light up La Liga this season

The English football season is in full swing and now it's over to our European counterparts to get their respective campaigns underway.

Malaga and Osasuna get the ball rolling in Spain, live on Sky Sports 2 on Friday, before champions Barcelona and the title contenders Real and Atletico Madrid follow suit this weekend.

All eyes will be on the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the start of the new season signals the renewal of their competitive rivalry.

But, other than those usual suspects, who should you be keeping an eye on? Which up-and-coming star will take La Liga by storm? Sky Sports' Spanish football expert picks out five players he expects to light up the Primera Division...

Luciano Vietto (Sevilla)

Advertisement
Image: Will Luciano Vietto benefit from his switch to Sevilla from Atletico Madrid

In Vietto you've got a player who you're wondering whether he'll be the player we expect him to be. He was very good at Villarreal and quickly went to Atletico Madrid, where he didn't have much of an impact. He is so young and, at Sevilla, he may have found the place to fulfil his potential.

Alexandre Pato (Villarreal)

Also See:

Image: Will Alexandre Pato get over his injury problems and rekindle his form?

Pato was compared to Pele and Ronaldo early on in his career but he hasn't fulfilled his potential. He made just two games last season at Chelsea. Since that very good period he had at Milan between 2011 and 2013 injuries have taken the best out of him. He went back to Brazil where he wasn't at his best but now he has the opportunity to do so at Villarreal. As usual, when he starts with a new team he actually scores. We will have to see if he can repeat that at El Madrigal.

Leo Baptistao (Espanyol)

Image: Leo Baptistao impressed while on loan at Villarreal last season. Can he repeat the feat at Espanyol?

Leo Baptistao is one we expect a lot of. He was at Rayo and looked like a quality striker both with space and without much space. But at Atletico and even Villarreal and Betis, he failed to make a huge impact. He is now at Espanyol where there is competition but can become the regular striker. He scored four goals in pre-season so this could be his year. I hope it is for Espanyol fans, including myself!

Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)

Image: Marco Asensio caught the eye with a stunning opener against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup

He comes from Mallorca and was on loan at Espanyol last season, where he was a regular. He's only 20 but he can't expect to have more time to play at Real Madrid and could end up ahead of Isco in the line-up or to be the number 12 player. He has a lot of quality from the left-hand side but, as I say, he needs more regular football. He can assists, he can score and now he's a Spain international. This could be his year.

Denis Suarez (Barcelona)

Image: Can Denis Suarez make his mark under the intense spotlight at Barcelona?

Denis Suarez did very well on loan at Villarreal but there were questions over what his best position was and whether he could make it at Barcelona. Well, he could fill in for Andres Iniesta, who was rested a lot last season and has picked up an injury at the start of this. He can also play as one of three forwards and he has got the quality to be one of the top Spanish players for the next few years.

Outbrain