Barcelona forward Luis Suarez carries the scoring load for Barca with the absence of Neymar. (Photo : Reuters)
Defending Spanish league champions FC Barcelona (1-0-0, 3 points) will try to go two-for-two early in the recently-opened 2015-2016 La Liga season versus hard-fighting Málaga CF (0-0-1, 1 point). The match is set at Barça's home stadium of Camp Nou in Catalonia on Saturday, August 29.
Luis Enrique's squad is still playing without one of its trio of scorers, Seleção captain Neymar, who is still recuperating from a battle with mumps earlier in the month.
The 23-year-old winger is also drawn in a record-breaking £140-million transfer rumor involving English Premier League squad Manchester United, as per the Daily Express, although reports said that the Brazilian is more likely to have a significant pay increase and stay with Barça.
Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao, 1-0, in their league opener on Sunday at San Mamés as Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez scored the lone goal of the match at the 54th-minute to kick off the team's title defense.
Meanwhile, Málaga settled for a goalless draw against Sevilla FC at their home field of Estadio La Rosaleda during their season opener last week.
Moroccan midfielder Nordin Amrabat and Brazilian forward Charles had opportunities to score late in the game but were but unsuccessful with their attempts, as reported by Sports Mole.
Prediction: A close 2-1 win for Barcelona. Even without Neymar, the offensive prowess of Lionel Messi and Suárez would be enough to put the Catalonia giants on the board. However, the absence of key starters Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets due to injuries would be felt by the champs, especially at the defensive end.
Barcelona starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Bravo; Roberto, Vermaelen, Mascherano, Alba; Bartra, Iniesta, Rakitić, Rafinha; Messi, Suárez
Málaga starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Kameni; Rosales, Boka, Albentosa, Angeleri; Tissone, Darder, Horta, Amrabat; Charles, Čop
