Barcelona vs. Málaga

The Barcelona could not defeat Málaga in the 12th round of the Spanish League played on Saturday and drew 0-0, missing the opportunity to become the sole leader of the Iberian tournament.

Despite the fact that the visiting team ended up with nine players due to the expulsions of Diego Llorente (hard tackle on Neymar) and Juan Carlos (in injury time), Barcelona had to settle for the rescued point.

As you know, Lionel Messi could not play this match due to a last minute complication. The Argentine star had stomach pain and vomiting and was the last minute absence of 'Barza'.

Throughout the match, Málaga focused on being a defensive team, leaving their forward Sandro Ramirez alone up front. This formation caused the shots from Gerard Piqué and Rafinha at 12' and 30' of the first half, respectively, to not be successful and they were unable to score.

With this result, Barcelona remains with 26 points, just one unit behind the leader Real Madrid, who is firm at the top with 27 points. Meanwhile, Málaga is in tenth place with 16 points.

The difference between first and second place could widen if Real Madrid achieves a victory against Atlético Madrid on Saturday at 2:45 p.m.

Check out the minute-by-minute of Barcelona vs. Málaga:

Playing without Messi

An unexpected absence. It was announced at the last minute that the Argentine forward will not play the much anticipated match "due to indisposition," pointed out Barcelona FC without giving further details:

"The Argentine player has a condition of discomfort and vomiting and will not be available for the match against the Andalusian team."

Lionel Messi's position will be filled by Carles Aleña. As you may recall, Uruguayan Luis Suárez will also not play as he is suspended, so this absence could affect the outcome of the match to the detriment of the 'azulgrana' team.

Preview

Barcelona will recover defenders Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba for this duel. Meanwhile, Paco Alcácer could be part of the match in place of the suspended Luis Suárez to accompany Neymar in the attack. Andrés Iniesta and Samuel Umtiti are out due to injury.

Therefore, the only injured players in Barcelona are Mathieu and Andrés Iniesta, injured in Mestalla, who hopes to recover for the December 3rd classic against Real Madrid.

Málaga, on the other hand, faces Barcelona with several absences. They have won only twice at Camp Nou, but have earned 10 points in the last six matches.

Possible lineups for Barcelona vs. Málaga:

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Mascherano, Digne; Busquets, Rakitic, Arda; Messi, Alcácer, and Neymar.
Málaga: Kameni; Rosales, Torres, Villanueva, Ricca; Jony, Fornals, Llorente, Juan Carlos; Juanpi, and Sandro.