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Feb 21, 2015 at 3pm UK
 

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Preview: Barcelona vs. Malaga

Sports Mole previews Saturday's La Liga clash between in-form Barcelona and Malaga as the hosts look to move top of the table.

Barcelona will look to keep their remarkable winning streak going when they host Malaga at Camp Nou on Saturday.

The Catalan giants have won 11 consecutive matches in all competitions and, with Real Madrid not playing until Sunday, would move top of the table for 24 hours at least should they bring up the dozen this weekend.

Their run of six consecutive league victories is the most that they have managed since October 2013 and has left them just one point behind Los Blancos.

A Champions League tie against Manchester City at the Etihad awaits Luis Enrique's side on Tuesday, but he will be wary of resting too many players against Malaga as he looks to avoid a slip-up in their domestic title chase.

The attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez will all be keen to start, having each netted in the 5-0 thumping of Levante last time out.

Messi picked up a record-equalling 23rd La Liga hat-trick in that game and is in some of the best form of his illustrious career, having netted 14 goals and contributed nine assists in his 11 games so far this calendar year.

The Argentine maestro has also scored in each of his last 10 games at Camp Nou, finding the net 17 times in that period, which is the best run of his career on home soil.

With Neymar also having scored seven in his last six games, Enrique faces the difficult balancing act of keeping his stars fresh for the Champions League without stunting their momentum.

Barca have won all but one of their 18 home matches in all competitions this season, while only three visiting teams have avoided defeat at Camp Nou in La Liga over the past 12 months.

Andres Iniesta could return in midfield for the hosts having overcome a bout of flu, while Dani Alves is also expected to be fit enough to start having missed out against Levante.

Rafinha could be drafted into the side, while Jordi Alba and Jeremy Mathieu are among those pushing for starts ahead of the midweek European tie.

For Malaga, that Champions League match is perhaps the only thing preventing this from being the worst possible time to face Barcelona.

The visitors have won just one of their last seven league games - a run that stretches to one in nine in all competitions. That has seen them slip down to seventh in the table, with six points now separating them from the European places.

Javi Gracia's side are looking to avoid falling to three consecutive defeats for the first time since October 2013, yet they are without a win in their last five away games and have lost each of their last 12 visits to Camp Nou.

It has been more than a decade since Malaga beat Barcelona in the league home or away, picking up just two points from a possible 54 in that time.

Their chances have been further hit by suspensions of Nordin Amrabat and Ignacio Camacho due to an accumulation of yellow cards, while Roberto Chen and Flavio Ferreira remain sidelined.

Javi Guerra is a doubt for the match but should be fit to lead the line as his side look to improve on their paltry tally of just three goals in their last seven games.

Barcelona:

Form in La Liga: WWWWWW
Form in all competitions: WWWWWW

Possible starting lineup: Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mathieu, Alba; Rafinha, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar

Malaga:

Form in La Liga: DLDWLL
Form in all competitions: DDLWLL

Possible starting lineup: Kameni; Rosales, Sanchez, Weligton, Boka; Darder, Recio, Samuel, Juanmi, Castillejo; Guerra

Sports Mole says: 3-0


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Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrate during the La Liga match against Atletico Madrid on January 11, 2015
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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