Soccer-Barca to begin title defence against Sporting Gijon

MADRID, July 10 (Reuters) - Barcelona will begin the defence of their Primera Liga title at home to Sporting Gijon, while Real Madrid will take on Deportivo Coruna at the Bernabeu in their opening match.

The first round of the 2009/10 season will take place on the weekend of Aug. 29/30, although Barca will not play Sporting until Monday, Aug. 31 due to their European Super Cup clash against Shakhtar Donetsk three days earlier.

The first of Spain's two "Clasico" fixtures between arch rivals Real and Barca is the weekend of Nov. 28/29 at the Nou Camp and the second is at the Bernabeu the weekend of April 10/11.

The full programme of matches for the opening round is as follows:

Valencia v Sevilla

Real Madrid v Deportivo Coruna

Barcelona v Sporting Gijon

Malaga v Atletico Madrid

Almeria v Real Valladolid