Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez's goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao Reuters

Barcelona will hope to make it two wins out of two when they face Malaga in their first home match of the 2015/16 La Liga season.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 7.30pm BST. The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 3 HD.

Overview

Barcelona got their La Liga title defence underway with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on 23 August, with Luis Suarez scoring the only goal of the game. The win gave the Catalan giants a measure of revenge after they were humbled 5-1 on aggregate by the same opponents in the Spanish Super Cup.

Barcelona are without defenders Gerard Pique and Dani Alves, who are ruled out through suspension and injury respectively. Jeremy Mathieu returns from a one-match ban, but Thomas Vermaelen could retain his place in the team ahead of the Frenchman after a solid display against Athletic in the opening match. Neymar has returned to training after a bout of mumps and could feature in the game.

Meanwhile, Malaga will hope to pull off a repeat of their shock 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the corresponding fixture of the 2014/15 season. The Andalusians are looking to improve on their ninth-place finish last campaign, and started their season with a goalless draw at home to Sevilla.

Coach Javi Gracia can select defender Weligton Oliveira again after the Brazilian sat out the Sevilla match due to a suspension. Striker Roque Santa Cruz may feature after sealing a season-long loan move to La Rosaleda from Mexican side Cruz Azul on 26 August.

What managers say

Luis Enrique: "We've started the season at a very high level. It was a really complete performance (against Athletic Bilbao). I'd said that the circumstances would be very different to the ones in the Spanish Super Cup and that's how it turned out. We stopped Athletic from threatening much and created a lot more chances than them, although we were edgy at the end because of the narrow lead."

Javi Gracia: "We prepared well and have been working hard for a while now. We have really given our all, starting from pre-season on 1 July in order for things to go well in our games. I believe we played a complete match (against Sevilla), without focusing on the rival."

Form guide

  • Barcelona (all competitions): WDLWW
  • Last result: Athletic Bilbao 0-1 Barcelona (La Liga)
  • Malaga (all competitions): DLLWL
  • Last result: Malaga 0-0 Sevilla (La Liga)

Betting odds (888sport)

  • Barcelona win: 2/17
  • Draw: 8
  • Malaga win: 22

Team news

Barcelona possible XI: Bravo; Roberto, Mascherano, Vermaelen, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Rafinha.

Malaga possible XI: Kameni; Rosales, Weligton, Angeleri, Boka; Horta, Tissone, Darder, Amrabat; Charles, Cop.

Barcelona FC