Barcelona midfielder Xavi does not believe that La Liga will be "a two-horse race" between the Catalan outfit and Real Madrid this season.

Barcelona have won six of the last nine championships, with Real Madrid also claiming three, but the 33-year-old has insisted that they will have to work for the title this season.

"I don't believe this league is a two-horse race. There are teams that will fight... Malaga proved that it's not easy to beat anyone," he told the club's official website.

"They defended well in the first half, they were closing down our passing lanes, so we tried to play on the wings. They relied more on counter-attacks in the second half but, in general, we did our work well. I'm happy."

Real Madrid contest their second league match of the season against Granada on Monday evening.