Ancelotti’s Madrid arrival can end Barcelona’s La Liga dominance

League titles in Italy, England and France make it easy to understand what attracted Real Madrid to the idea of appointing Carlo Ancelotti as their new manager.

The former AC Milan, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss arrives at the Bernabeu with a strong message in his ear about just how vital it is for Real to win their first Champions League title since 2002, but re-establishing domestic control is just as important.

Ancelotti’s predecessor Jose Mourinho may have managed to divert the direction of the La Liga trophy from Catalonia to the Spanish capital in the 2011/12 season, but Barcelona’s four title wins in the last five years ensure that they remain the dominant force.

Yet at 6/5, Real are the only backable option to win the two-horse race for Spanish supremacy.

Seemingly determined to add a Premier League superstar such as Gareth Bale or Luis Suarez to their squad this summer, Real also look likely to keep hold of Cristiano Ronaldo and will be supported by another world class talent Zinedine Zidane, who has been added to Ancelotti’s coaching staff.

Real amassed 85 points and scored over 100 goals in coming second to Barca in the table last season, and with the addition of a Bale or a Suarez only likely to improve that in the coming campaign then the 7/10 on a Catalan title win should perhaps be avoided.

Malaga and Spain under-21 star Isco could be another name added to Real’s galaxy of stars in the coming weeks too, and with Real unbeaten in their last five matches against the reigning champions in league and cup they would seem to have little to fear.

Lionel Messi and co will still have a thing or two to say about that of course, but with Ancelotti on board the Argentinean and his team-mates are going to have a battle on their hands to retain their La Liga crown.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publication