ESPN's Experts Predict Barcelona Will Defend Their Title, Mbappé Will Repeat as Top Scorer and Lamine Yamal Will Be MVP

A new LaLiga season is about to kick off, and tradition demands it: time to pull out the crystal ball. ESPN polled four of its most respected voices (Gemma Soler, Moisés Llorens, Rodra and Lluis Bou) to map out what the 2026-27 campaign might have in store. The result is a mix of consensus and dissent that captures the current state of LaLiga pretty well: a defending champion in Barcelona, a Real Madrid under construction with Mourinho at the helm, and a handful of parallel storylines that promise to keep people talking.

On the million-dollar question, who wins the title, three of the four panelists lean toward Barcelona. The reasoning is nearly unanimous: the club kept the core that won the title, added reinforcements built to raise the level, and Hansi Flick keeps demanding maximum effort despite the ever-looming shadow of the Champions League. The lone dissenter is Rodra, who is picking a return to the throne for Real Madrid under José Mourinho, though he admits his call is based more on gut feeling than hard evidence.

Where there is total unanimity is on the top scorer race: all four agree that Kylian Mbappé will repeat as the league's leading scorer. The Frenchman took over penalty and free kick duties at Madrid, arrives fresh off a strong scoring showing at the World Cup, and according to the experts has no real rival in that category, regardless of whether it's enough to help him lift the league title.

The MVP pick also points to a familiar name: Lamine Yamal, chosen by three of the four experts after being the best player and top assist provider of the 2025-26 season. The only condition, they all agree, is that injuries stay away from him this time. The odd voice out is once again Rodra, who goes with Mourinho as his MVP, not for statistics but for his direct influence on Madrid's collective performance.

Champions League spots, relegation and surprises

For the European spots, the consensus points to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Villarreal as the most repeated candidates, with Athletic Club, Betis and Real Sociedad fighting for the fifth spot depending on which panelist you ask. At the other end of the table, Elche shows up on three of the four relegation lists, joined by names like Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla, Levante or Racing de Santander, depending on who you ask.

Among the predicted disappointments are Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano, Betis and even Barcelona itself, while Deportivo La Coruña is the favorite to be this season's surprise package, with Celta Vigo and Racing de Santander as alternatives.

On the transfer window that just closed, Rodra didn't hold back on the impact of Real Madrid's new faces:

The week Madrid fans felt the disappointment over Rodri while the club announced the signings of Espí and Diomande will be remembered by the end of the season.Rodra

With the curtain about to rise, the predictions make clear that beyond the usual favorites, this LaLiga season is loaded with nuance. It remains to be seen how many of these calls hold up over the course of 38 matchdays.