Barcelona began their La Liga title defence with a home game against Real Betis on Saturday night.
Ruben Castro cancelled out an early Arda Turan effort to leave the two teams on terms in the 21st minute, but Barcelona regained the lead 10 minutes before the end of the first period courtesy of a strike from Lionel Messi, before Luis Suarez made it 3-1 late in the 42nd minute.
Luis Suarez grabbed his second for 4-1 in the 56th minute, before Messi made it five moments later as Betis were blown away in the early stages of the second period.
Suarez then completed his hat-trick in the 82nd minute, before Castro hit his second for Betis in the 84th minute during an event-filled night at Camp Nou.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
Afternoon all! Sports Mole's live La Liga coverage for the 2016-17 campaign begins from Camp Nou as the defending champions Barcelona take on Real Betis, who are now under the management of a certain Gustavo Poyet. It is a tough start for the former Chelsea midfielder and the omens are not great – Barcelona have not lost an opening La Liga game at home since 1939!
What's more, Betis are currently on their second longest run without a league win at Camp Nou (22 matches, 20 defeats). Not since 1998 have Betis left this stadium with all three points from and they have lost on 12 of their last 14 visits. It is not exactly the start that Poyet would have had in mind, but Betis have the chance to claim an early scalp and stranger things have happened.
Right, without further ado, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news from the home of the Spanish champions. Who have Luis Enrique and Poyet selected for the opening match of the La Liga campaign? I can confirm that Suarez and Suarez both start for the hosts. Let's have a look!
TEAMS!
BARCA: Bravo; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Denis; Turan, Suarez, Messi
BETIS: Adan; Bruno, Mandi, Pezzella, Durmisi; Jonas, Petros, Felipe; Cejudo, Castro, Sanabria
Samuel Umtiti and Denis Suarez will both make their league debuts for Barcelona tonight, while Sergi Roberto is preferred at right-back to Aleix Vidal. Luis Suarez also returns to the front three alongside Lionel Messi and Arda Turan, but the likes of Neymar (international duty), Javier Mascherano and Andres Iniesta (both injured) all miss out. Fascinating first league XI from Luis Enrique!
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As for Betis, new head coach Gus Poyet has handed debuts to five of his summer signings. Antonio Sanabria, Aissa Mandi, Felipe Gutierrez, Jonas Martin and Riza Durmisi all make their first league appearances for the Seville outfit, but there are still familiar faces in the shape of Bruno, Alvaro Cejudo and Ruben Castro. Joaquin and Dani Ceballos are both on the bench for the visitors at Camp Nou.
So there we have it. The two teams are in and we are now around 40 minutes from kickoff on this warm early evening in Barcelona. I shall talk about Betis a little bit later, but let's start with the home team, who will enter this match off the back of a 3-0 win over Sevilla in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday night, which secured a 5-0 aggregate success.
Enrique's side have already secured their first trophy of the 2016-17 campaign after overcoming Sevilla, but there is no time to dwell on that success as they begin the defence of their La Liga crown tonight. Last season saw Barcelona claim the La Liga title for a 24th time after finishing one point clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid on the final weekend of what was another excellent campaign.
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A wobble from Barcelona allowed Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid back into the race in the final weeks of the season, but the Catalan giants just about did enough to finish on 91 points, which were gathered courtesy of 29 wins, four draws and five defeats. They were also the leading scorers on 112 goals and had the second-best defensive record behind Atletico Madrid.
That said, 91 points represented Barcelona's lowest points tally as champions since the 2008-09 season in what was Pep Guardiola's first campaign in charge of the Spanish giants. You just get the feeling that they need to start well this time around as the challenge from the capital will once again be strong. Real Madrid are absolutely desperate to return to the top of the pile, that is for sure.
Barcelona, who have only conceded twice in their last four league games with Betis, have a kind start to the new La Liga campaign as they face newly-promoted Deportivo Alaves and Leganes in two of their next three fixtures. Then comes a mouth-watering clash with Atletico, before travelling to Sporting Gijon and Celta Vigo and hosting Deportivo La Coruna in the middle of October.
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Another La Liga crown and Copa del Rey title arrived last season, but Enrique's side lost to Atletico in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and they will be keen to launch a stronger challenge this time around. Can Suarez, Neymar and Messi fire the club to another treble? It will be interesting to see how those three superstars start the new campaign. Neymar is still on Olympic duty at the moment though!
As for Betis, the Green and Whites had a solid 2015-16 campaign in Spain's top flight – claiming 10th place on 45 points. Their position in the table was even more remarkable when considering that they only managed 34 goals, which was comfortably the worst offensive record in the division. Wbat's more, 19 of those league goals came from one player – Ruben Castro, who starts tonight.
¡Quieren escucharos! 🙌💚 Dicen que estamos locos de la cabeza... 🎶🎶 pic.twitter.com/9R4tBRwvPk — Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis) August 20, 2016
Betis have also had a solid pre-season - recording wins over El Palo, Linense, Middlesbrough Fulham, Werder Bremen and Sporting Lisbon, in addition to securing a 1-1 draw with Everton. They have a tough start to the new La Liga season though as they prepare to face Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla in three of their first five matches this term. Just 15 minutes until kickoff tonight!
As mentioned, Betis are now under the management of Gus Poyet, who signed a two-year contract with the Spanish club in the summer after leaving AEK Athens in April. The 47-year-old has replaced Juan Merino, who left before the end of last season. One thing is for certain, Poyet will bring some passion!
It has been a busy summer for Betis in terms of transfers, with Antonio Sanabria, Aissa Mandi, Felipe Gutierrez, Jonas Martin, Riza Durmisi, Manu Herrera, Roman Zozulya and Matias Nahuel all arriving. Meanwhile, Alfred N'Diaye, Francisco Molinero, Jorge Molina and Rafael van der Vaart are among those that have been allowed to leave the Spanish outfit. Five of their XI tonight are new signings.
Very interesting to see that Claudio Bravo is once again in the Barcelona net tonight. The Chilean has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City in recent weeks and it is understood that deal is very close to completion. This could well be Bravo's final goodbye to the Catalan outfit.
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Here we go then - the pre-match handshakes have been undertaken and the flags have been exchanged. It is Barcelona against Betis, Enrique against Poyet. The start of the new season!
Barcelona are just being presented with the La Liga trophy... from last season. Finally! The kids are on the pitch and it is all very nice. Not sure that Betis appreciate it at this particular moment though!
KICKOFF! Betis kick things off at Camp Nou...
... here we go again. It is a beautiful early evening in Barcelona and the home supporters are in fine voice in the early stages of this contest. The pitch is wonderful and both teams look smart in their new strips - everything is ready then! You sense that Betis need to make a positive start to this match.
Interesting to see Sergi Roberto at right-back for Barcelona here. It will seemingly be between the Spaniard and Aleix Vidal for that position this season. As expected, Barcelona are enjoying the early possession here and only a smart clearance from Bruno prevents Denis Suarez from finding Luis.
Betis are playing 3-5-2/5-3-2 tonight and they are being forced very deep in the early moments of this match. Messi comes deep and manages to slide a pass into Luis Suarez, but it bounces behind for a goal-kick. So far, so good for Betis boss Poyet, although there is an awful long way to go.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Betis (Turan)
Barcelona make the breakthrough in the sixth minute of this match as Turan turns a low Alba cross into the back of the net from close range. Betis had a player back on the line, but it had enough power to find the back of the net. That is Turan's third goal of the week - he is enjoying himself now!
Well, Betis would have wanted to get through the opening 10, 15 minutes without conceding. They managed five minutes, but the goal came in the sixth and they now face a difficult talk. That said, how Betis perform this season is not going to depend on their results at places such as Camp Nou.
CHANCE! Wonderful chance for Barcelona to score a second as Messi finds a beautiful pass into Alba, who delivers towards Suarez, but Betis manage to scramble it behind.
Messi is dropping deep at the moment and Betis just cannot handle him. What a player. I mean come on. It has been said so much. But it is almost unfair that Messi is this good.
Betis have just managed to take the ball away from Barcelona in the last couple of minutes, but they are not offering much in the final third at the moment, with Castro and Sanabria struggling for service. The visitors need more from the likes of Felipe, Petros and Martin in the midfield area.
Pass, pass, pass from Barcelona as they continue to probe in the final third of the field.
Just a reminder that Barcelona are still without the services of Neymar, who is representing Brazil at the Olympic Games. Turan will have something to say about it if Neymar walks back into the XI!
Cejudo strikes one from outside the Barcelona box, but it is very ambitious and very high.
Betis now have a free kick in a dangerous area as Felipe is felled by Turan...
... GOAL! Barcelona 1-1 Betis (Castro)
Oh my word! What a goal! Castro sends a wonderful free kick into the top corner! Wow!
You sense that Betis needed to respond quickly after Barcelona took the lead and the away side have been brilliant in the last five minutes or so. The free kick from Castro was excellent, but their use of the ball has been much, much better in the last few moments. We have a game on our hands.
I tell you something, Betis fancy this. They are not sitting back and accepting Barcelona dominating possession of the ball. The visitors are committing four, five players forward when they break.
Suarez goes down inside the penalty box under pressure from Mandi, but the referee is not interested. I have certainly seen them given and so has Enrique judging by his reaction to that.
Barcelona are turning on the heat once again and Denis Suarez has one deflected over the crossbar as Betis defend for their lives. The resulting corner is delivered towards Umtiti and the ball is blocked behind for another quick-fire set piece. Can Betis keep the scores level until the break?!
CROSSBAR! Messi hits the Demba Ba (crossbar) with a stinging strike from inside the box! Betis are really struggling to get out at the moment as the pressure continues here.
It is tough for Betis at the moment as Barcelona continue to pass, pass, pass here.
Messi continues to make himself available on the edge of the box as he looks to slide balls into Suarez, but Betis are keeping their shape and making the Argentine concede the ball. Betis are also picking up their fair share of free kicks, which is allowing them to slow down the tempo here.
Alba clashes with Petros and both sets of players get their handbags out! Away chaps!
BETIS SUB! Betis are forced into a change late in the first period as Martin limps off the field to be replaced by Ceballos, who has bags of ability and has been linked with a number of clubs!
GOAL! Barcelona 2-1 Betis (Messi)
New season, but some things never change. Messi sends Barcelona into a 2-1 lead as the Argentine finds space on the edge of the box before absolutely rattling the ball past Adan. Some strike that!
Half-chance for Betis as Sanabria delivers a dangerous cross towards the far post, but there are no takers and Barcelona can resume from the back. Moments later, the home side break and Roberto drills a low cross into the box, but Adan just about manages to push the ball away from trouble.
GOAL! Barcelona 3-1 Betis (Suarez)
And that might well be game over. Barcelona have their third of the match late in the first period as Luis Suarez does brilliantly to turn a Roberto cross into the bottom corner. Super finish there!
BOOKING! Cejudo (Betis) is booked for a poor challenge on Turan.
HALF-TIME: Barcelona 3-1 Betis
So there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with Barcelona leading 3-1 courtesy of goals from Turan, Messi and Luis Suarez. Betis actually levelled the scores in the 21st minute through Castro, but Messi and Suarez have handed Barcelona a comfortable half-time lead.
STATISTICS! Barcelona have dominated the possession with 69%, while they have had 10 attempts, three of which were on target. Betis, meanwhile, hit the target with one of their three first-half attempts and that was Castro's brilliant free kick. Just the one booking - Cejudo for the away team.
BENCH WATCH! Barcelona's bench is actually quite light due to injury and suspensions, but Munir El-Haddadi, Aleix Vidal and Lucas Digne are among those that will hope to feature. Betis boss Gus Poyet, meanwhile, has options in the shape of Joaquin and Musonda. The visitors have already been forced into one change, however, with Dani Ceballos taking the place of the injured Martin.
At the break Barça lead 3-1 - goals from Arda, Messi and L.Suárez with Castro replying for Betis #FCBlive #FCBBetis pic.twitter.com/YM1AhzIDez — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 20, 2016
RESTART! Barcelona resume the action on home soil...
... no changes from either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise. However, I suspect that both managers will have alterations in mind as the second period gathers pace at Camp Nou.
Half-chance for the home side as Messi finds space on the edge of the box before drilling one on the half-volley, but his effort is wide of the post. Messi has been absolutely magic so far tonight.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Turan taps the ball home from close range after Adan had kept out Messi's effort, but the flag is raised and the celebrations are cut short here!
Betis are really struggling at the moment as the home side continue to dominate possession of the ball in the final third of the field. I would be astounded if we had seen the last of the goals here.
SAVE! Adan keeps out a spectacular effort from Denis Suarez after Messi had picked out the Spaniard with a wonderful cross from the right. Betis just cannot keep the ball!
Pass, pass, pass from Barcelona as they continue to look for angles in the final third of the field. Messi must have had about 700 touches in this match as he pops up down the left, then the right, then the centre and then collecting the ball from his centre-back. Stunning again tonight, Messi.
BETIS SUB! Musonda replaces Felipe in Betis' second change.
GOAL! Barcelona 4-1 Betis (Suarez)
Number four for Barcelona and it is another goal for Luis Suarez, who turns a low Messi cross into the back of the net from close range. Betis' defence went to sleep following another quick counter!
GOAL! Barcelona 5-1 Betis (Messi)
Blink and you will miss a goal! Now five for Barcelona as Messi races to the edge of the Betis box before hammering the ball into the bottom corner. Good grief what a couple of minutes here.
BETIS SUB! Ruiz replaces Petros in Betis' third and final change.
The score is tough on Betis, but Barcelona have been so clinical in the final third and there are still around 30 minutes of this contest left to play. It could easily become six or seven at Camp Nou.
BOOKING! Suarez (Barcelona) is booked for dissent.
Barcelona have a free kick just outside the box as Cejudo brings Messi to the deck...
... Messi strikes the free kick over Adan's crossbar. He is human!
There is some movement on the Barcelona bench and it appears that Munir will be given some minutes. Surely neither Luis Suarez nor Messi will be taken off on a hat-trick. Absolutely not!
BARCELONA SUB! Munir replaces Denis Suarez for the home side.
Messi delivers another dangerous cross into the Betis box, but Bruno does enough to challenge Luis Suarez and the ball breaks behind for a goal kick. Still a good 20 minutes left to play here.
Possession football from the home side as they keep hold of the ball in the final third.
Free header for Pique inside the Betis box, but his effort hits Luis Suarez!
SAVE! Adan gets down to keep out a low Messi effort from an Alba cross.
BARCELONA SUB! Lucas Digne replaces Alba for the home side.
BOOKING! Castro (Betis) is booked for a late challenge on Rakitic.
Not an awful lot to report in terms of chances in the last few minutes, but Barcelona are still very much in control of this game as they keep hold of the possession. Betis were actually pretty good in the first period, but they have been blown away over the space of a few minutes!
Barcelona have a free kick in a dangerous area as Sanabria checks Luis Suarez...
... GOAL! Barcelona 6-1 Betis (Suarez, hat-trick)
Luis Suarez rattles a wonderful free kick into the top corner for his hat-trick!
GOAL! Barcelona 6-2 Betis (Castro)
Super finish from Castro as the Betis forward finds the bottom corner for 6-2!
It would be fair to say that the supporters have had value for money tonight! Eight goals and some wonderful performances. The home side almost score a seventh as Digne breaks onto a Messi pass, but Adan is on hand to make a super save. Surely time for a couple more goals here!
Betis have a couple of players down with cramp. I know the feeling, my fingers hurt after this game. Eight goals and plenty of incidents have left me very busy over the last hour and half here!
Just the two additional minutes at the end of the second period.
FULL-TIME: Barcelona 6-2 Betis
So there we have it. The referee brings the second period to a close with Barcelona running out 6-2 winners on the opening weekend of the new La Liga season. That is just about it from me tonight, but be sure to stick around for all of the reaction from today's matches across Europe. Until next time!
