Defensive Malaga Hopes for Another Miracle at Camp Nou

Malaga had home pitch advantage against Sevilla but didn’t play like a team poised to secure all three points and instead exercised caution. It was the visitors that had better ball possession and created more scoring opportunities, but none of them found their way to the net. On Saturday, Malaga travels to Barcelona and it will further bolster its defensive against the best offensive lineup in Primera Division.

Barcelona's Offensive Struggles Continue

With Neymar on the bench mending his injuries, Barcelona was toothless and only managed to score twice over the last two weeks. Following the breathtaking UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, they faced Athletic Bilbao on three occasions and had to settle for a single narrow margin victory.

The good news is that the Brazilian striker returns to the starting formation and he’s expected to retain his place alongside Suarez and Messi. Now that the offensive Trident had been restored, the hosts are entitled to be optimistic about the manner in which this fixture will unfold. They were clearly the better team last weekend, but once again were on the verge of dropping points as Athletic Bilbao held its ground.

Malaga Seeks Back-To-Back Victories

After losing 10 games in a row, Malaga managed to deny Barcelona victory at home and then doubled down on that triumph at Camp Nou. Earlier this year they emerged victorious by the odd goal and they would be thrilled to replicate that performance.

Surviving a 90 minutes siege in Barcelona is not an easy task for any team, but Malaga has the defensive lineup capable of stopping Barcelona in its tracks. Even though Neymar has returned, he is not 100% fit to play and it is unlikely for him to be used the entire 90 minutes. There is no value in backing the home side to prevail, but punters will find spectacular odds of 8//11 at bet365 Sports on Malaga to cover the 2.5 goals spread.