Without the likes of Luis Suarez and Leo Messi in the squad, FC Barcelona showed their squad depth in a huge win midweek. The Catalans won the away leg against Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in Copa Del Rey and will now look to take the three points against Malaga in La Liga action.
Barcelona will come into this game refreshed as both Suarez (suspension) and Messi (rest) come into this game fresh. Barcelona chose to play a lot of bench players including putting Sergi Roberto at left back and Munir in the striker role.
Form
It was a good couple of days for Barcelona as they beat Atheltic Bilbao twice in two games in a matter of days. The first was a 6-0 smashing of Bilbao in the Camp Nou thanks to a hattrick by Suarez and although Messi went off at halftime to have his leg checked, the Catalans looked comfortable in victory. It also helped that goalie Gorka Iraizoz was sent off in the first couple of minutes after he tripped Suarez in the box after the Uruguayan found himself behind the Bilbao defense.
Then in the next fixture, also against Bilbao and in San Memes, Barcelona again came up victorious with a 2-1 win. Thanks to goals from Munir and Neymar. Barcelona now have to wait for the second leg which comes after the fixture against Malaga. Barcelona should also be confident in their form as every time they have gone up 2-1 in the first leg of a cup tie, they have advanced. They also are still two points behind first place Atletico Madrid as the leaders can't seem to lose. But they have a huge game coming up in a week as they face Atletico and the title for first place in Spain will be on the line.
Malaga find themselves mid-table and they are currently on a mini-slide. Malaga are on a two game winless streak as they just recently lost 2-1 to Sevilla. Considering their loss to Copa Del Rey to Mirandes, Malaga need a bounce back but they will have to buckle down against Barcelona. Last time these two teams met back in August, Barcelona won 1-0 as they snapped a two game winless streak against Malaga. This will be a tough game for Malaga.
Team News
Barcelona will have a shortage of footballers in defense as Jordi Alba and Jeremy Mathieu are both nursing injuries. Leo Messi didn't play midweek but is expected to play.
Malaga have made some moves in the winter window as they have sold winger Nordin Amrabat to Watford.
What They're Saying
"We greeted them, but there was not any meeting. This is an invention." said Neymar Sr. to Mundo Deportivo (via ESPNFC) when asked about the supposed meeting between Neymar and Real Madrid.
"When the match ends, everything is left on the pitch. At times they played hard and at others they did not," Neymar said to reporters (via ESPNFC) after their match against Athletic Bilbao.
Prediction
Barcelona are still in form and Messi is returning from injury. The Catalans pick up all three points against Malaga.