LA Liga’s new season will kick off on the weekend of Aug. 18, with Clasico games between Real Madrid and Barcelona in October and March, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced Tuesday.

The first Clasico of the La Liga season falls on the weekend Oct. 28 at the Camp Nou, while the return fixture will be at the Bernabeu on March 3, 2019, the RFEF said after unveiling the full fixture list during a general assembly at its headquarters.

The last league games will be played on the weekend of May 19, 2019.

La Liga champion and Copa del Rey winner Barcelona takes on beaten cup finalist Sevilla on Aug. 12 in Tangier, Morocco, in the Spanish Supercup, the traditional curtain-raiser of the season.

Barca then begins its league title defense at home to Alaves on Aug. 19. The side will finish the campaign at Eibar.

European champion Real Madrid, under new coach Julen Lopetegui and without the departed Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo, takes on city neighbor Getafe on Aug. 19 at the Bernabeu in their first game.

Real Madrid will host city rival Atletico Madrid on Sept. 30 and faces the Rojiblancos at the Wanda Metropolitano on Feb. 10, 2019.

Atletico Madrid has a mouthwatering start at Valencia. The side closes the 2018-19 season also in the city of Valencia but against Levante.

The RFEF approved an asymmetrical fixture list for the 2018-19 campaign as used in the Premier League rather than the traditional calendar format.

In the past, the fixtures in the first half of the season were repeated in the exact same order in the second. The new format done with a new computer program is random and hence, less predictable and deemed more exciting.

Huesca will play in La Liga for the first time in the club’s 58-year-old history, with its first game at Eibar .

Real Valladolid and Rayo Vallecano, which has returned to La Liga, begin their campaign at Girona and at home to Sevilla, respectively.

The Copa del Rey final will be played May 25, 2019.

Among the other additions to the 2018-19 campaign is the implementation of the video assistant referee (VAR) system.

(SD-Agencies)