With this week's agreements for Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze, Spanish media have estimated Real will have spent well over $150million this summer, with the club having already brought in Christoph Metzelder, Pepe, Javier Saviola, Jerzy Dudek, Royston Drenthe and Wesley Sneijder.

Meanwhile, Atletico have not been slow to splash the cash either, with the Rojiblancos snapping up the likes of Simao Sabrosa, Diego Forlan, Luis Garcia, Jose Antonio Reyes and Raul Garcia.

That ensures there should be plenty of new faces on show at the Bernabeu on Saturday, while a few old favourites will also be missing for both clubs.

The departure of captain and star striker Fernando Torres to Liverpool this summer beckons a new dawn for Atletico, while another favourite, Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov, has left for pastures new as well.

For Real, no longer will long-serving trio David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Ivan Helguera be seen gracing the famous white shirt following their departures.

There is also a new face in the Bernabeu hotseat, with Bernd Schuster the man tasked with mounting Real's title defence following the exit of Fabio Capello.

Pre-season results have not gone Real's way, with six defeats in their 10 matches including a 6-3 aggregate loss to Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup, but striker Roberto Soldado believes it will all come right soon.

"We've started a new project this season with several new players that still have to adapt to the team and to the coach's style," he said.

"The coach is also new. Real Madrid will soon play well and win games, I'm sure."

The Madrid derby is taking place on Saturday, as is a repeat of the Copa del Rey final between Sevilla and Getafe.

Sevilla won that match 1-0 and they will be looking to build on a remarkable run of success that has seen them win five trophies in less than two years.

The future of highly-rated full-back Daniel Alves is still up in the air, but Sevilla have largely managed to keep the majority of their squad intact - including coach Juande Ramos and key striker Frederic Kanoute.

Among the remaining eight opening-weekend fixtures, a powerful-looking Barcelona travel to Racing Santander.

Barca only missed out on the league last season due to an inferior head-to-head record against Real, but they will fancy their chances of reclaiming the title after adding Thierry Henry, Eric Abidal, Yaya Toure and Gabi Milito to an already-impressive squad this summer.

Two other teams who are expected to be challenging near the summit this season meet at the Mestalla when Valencia host Villarreal, clubs which finished fourth and fifth respectively last term.

Of the three promoted outfits, Real Murcia look to have the toughest task as they host Real Zaragoza, but Segunda Division champions Real Valladolid will not find their trip to UEFA Cup finalists Espanyol much easier.

Almeria, the other top-flight newcomers, are at Deportivo La Coruna, while Real Mallorca host Levante.

The remaining two fixtures are between local rivals, with Recreativo welcoming Andalusian neighbours Real Betis to Huelva, and Osasuna going to fellow Basque outfit Athletic Bilbao.