Malaga vs. Barcelona: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Malaga will try to avoid being the next victim in Barcelona's rampage through Spain when they welcome in the Catalans on Sunday.

Barcelona thrashed Levante, 7-0, in their first La Liga match of the season. They scored six before halftime. It was the kind of statement win manager Gerardo Martino needed in his first league match as manager of the club.

There have been many critics who have wondered if Martino is the man for the job and if Barcelona have done enough to improve during the summer.

Considering how easily the Catalans dispatched Levante, those concerns may have been blown out of proportion. The Spanish league has become an annual battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and this season looks to be no different.

On the other side of the pitch, Malaga is recovering from a 1-0 loss to Valencia. It wasn't a demoralizing loss. The match did drive home the new reality for the club, though.

This is a vastly different side from the one that qualified for the Champions League in 2011-12. The money has dried up, and the best players have gone elsewhere. Manuel Pellegrini has left to manage Manchester City, making way for Bernd Schuster. On the pitch, Isco, Jeremy Toulalan and Joaquin have all been sold.

Malaga should get a boost against Barcelona as Lionel Messi's fitness is in question. The Associated Press reported the star forward picked up a muscle bruise in his left thigh (h/t Sporting News). Barca confirmed on their Twitter account that Messi is only "doubtful" for the matchup:

The injury speaks to the larger problem regarding Messi's health. He's had a lot of trouble just finishing games, as noted by Spanish football expert Dermot Corrigan:

Although Barcelona will still be heavily favored, Messi's absence would help level the playing field a little bit.

Here's a preview for this La Liga clash.

Where: Estadio La Rosaleda, Malaga, Spain

Date: Sunday, August 25

Time: 3 p.m. ET; 8 p.m. BST

TV Info: beIN Sport (USA); Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)

Live Stream: beIN Sport Play (USA); Sky Go (U.K.)

Odds (courtesy of Bloomberg Sports)

Barcelona Win: 59.4 percent

Malaga Win: 20 percent

Draw: 20.6 percent

Malaga Player to Watch: Wilfredo Caballero

If Malaga are going to get anything out of this match, Wilfredo Caballero will have to stand on his head.

It's not a matter of whether he'll be tested against Barcelona. The question is how many saves will he have to make. Barca will be the aggressors for the entire match, and as a result, they'll have plenty of good opportunities to score.

With Malaga losing so many good attackers, coach Bernd Schuster has been left to play a much more pragmatic style than Manuel Pellegrini did last season. Schuster can't afford to go out on the attack too often, or he'll leave his team too exposed on the counter.

Part of Schuster's plan will be to get strong play between the sticks. If Caballero has a poor game, there's no hope that Malaga will be able to salvage anything from this match.

Barcelona Player to Watch: Neymar

Neymar could make his first start for Barcelona (h/t AS):

But as Anna Segura noted on the club's website, Martino said he will not rush Neymar into action. Still, with the injury to Messi and the goal he scored against Atletico Madrid, it would be hard to keep Neymar out of the lineup. That goal in the Supercopa was a thing to behold. It was a well-timed run from the Brazilian and a great header.

This is why Barcelona spent €57 million for the 21-year-old. When Messi isn't 100 percent fit, Barca still have a creative presence up top who has an eye for goal.

This could be a great opportunity for Neymar to make that first La Liga start. Malaga aren't the toughest of opponents, and Messi's absence would make it easier for the young star to have some freedom in the attack.

Prediction

Even without Lionel Messi, this one is only going to Barcelona. They have too much talent in the attack to expect anything less than Barca getting all three points.

The Catalans could have a hard time breaking down Malaga early in the match. They'll sit back and let Barcelona run right at them. It's been an effective strategy in the past and should continue to be one this weekend.

Sooner or later, though, Barcelona will get that critical first goal. From that point on, it's going to be a comfortable victory. They'll be able to get more and more comfortable on the ball, and Malaga will be forced to open up a bit and try to chase the game.

Barcelona 4, Malaga 1