Having given a good account of themselves in the opening defeat to Valencia, Malaga will have something to build on when they play host to reigning champions Barcelona.

The Catalans put seven past Levante at Camp Nou before sharing spoils with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup clash, and they will fancy their chances of winning at La Rosaleda.

Malaga did brilliantly to take full advantage of rare Champions League qualification, having largely impressed in Europe’s elite competition last term, but it looks as though they won’t be playing against top European sides any time soon.

Los Boquerones have seen key players leave ever since it was revealed their financial situation was not as good as it was thought to be, and they may struggle to achieve a top half finish this season.

Isco, Iturra, Toulalan, Joaquin, Demichelis, Saviola and Baptista have all left this summer, while there have been no funds for high-profile signings.

Malaga may have looked good against severely weakened Valencia on the first day of the season, but with Barcelona arriving at full strength, los Boquerones have little to hope for.

Important defender Weligton continues to miss out, but new signing Bartlomiej Pawlowski should be in contention for a starting place.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Caballero – Gamez, Chen, Angeleri, Antunes – Camacho, Tissone – Morales, Olinga, Duda – Santa Cruz.

Many were surprised to see Gerardo “Tata” Martino elected as the man to replace Tito Vilanova, but the Argentine coach has quickly gotten to grips with his new job.

He led the Catalans to some impressive triumphs in pre-season, before recording a 7-0 victory over Levante on his official debut.

Barcelona in turn held Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 draw in midweek, with the first two matches showing that star signing Neymar will be slowly introduced into the starting line-up.

Lionel Messi’s muscle injury was the biggest concern on the night, with the Argentine now doubtful for the Malaga clash.

With Martino unlikely to take any risks with his compatriot, Neymar could start his first match in Barcelona shirt, with the Brazilian 1.85 (17/20) with 888sport to score at La Rosaleda.

Meanwhile, his side are 1.25 (1/4) favourites at Ladbrokes, while being priced at 1.67 (2/3) to defend the La Liga trophy.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Valdes – Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba – Xavi, Busquets, Fabregas – Sanchez, Neymar, Pedro.

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