The first match of the new La Liga season will see Europa League holders Sevilla travel to La Rosaleda to face Malaga.

Los Rojiblancos will be hoping to improve upon last season's fifth-place finish, while the hosts will be optimistic of booking a return to Europe.

Malaga

Malaga are sure to head into the new season full of confidence after finishing ninth in the La Liga table last time around.

They had sacked Bernd Schuster last May when the German failed to guide the club into the top half and Javi Gracia was brought in to replace him.

The club initially struggled and won just one of their opening six league games, but a strong run of eight victories in 10 matches from October to December lifted the club into the top six.

A surprise 1-0 victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou followed in February, but their form trailed off to the end of the campaign and four defeats from their last five games saw their European hopes crushed.

Having missed out on a place in the Europa League, a number of their key players have left the club, with the likes of Juanmi, Samuel, Samu Castillejo, Francisco Portillo and Sergio Sanchez all departing.

However, fans will be buoyed by the additions of Duje Cop, Adnane Tighadouini and Nordin Amrabat, who are expected to add more quality to an attack that mustered just 42 goals in the top flight last term.

Recent form: WLLWWW

Sevilla

Having won back-to-back Europa League titles over the past two seasons, there is a certain amount of expectation placed on Sevilla's shoulders ahead of the new campaign.

The club came just behind Valencia in fifth place and missed out on automatic qualification for the Champions League, despite finishing with a record points tally.

However, a place in the group stages of the biggest club competition in football was assured when they beat Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Europa League final.

Victory in that competition saw them drawn against Barcelona in the UEFA Super Cup, and it proved to be one of the best games in the history of the fixture, as the Catalan giants earned a 5-4 win after extra time.

Sevilla had been 4-1 down at one point before fighting back to take the tie into an additional 30 minutes, but their defensive failings won't have pleased Unai Emery. The manager would have been even more aggrieved three days later, as they were beaten 6-4 by Roma in an eventful friendly that saw the Italian club race into a six-goal lead.

After those results, the club may enter the transfer market in a bid to bulk up their defence, but they have already signed Adil Rami and Mariano this summer. Steven N'Zonzi and Michael Krohn-Dehli have also been brought into the midfield, while Ciro Immobile and Yevhen Konoplyanka should add quality to their attack.

Despite those arrivals, they will surely feel the loss of frontman Carlos Bacca, who has joined AC Milan after scoring 49 goals during his two seasons in Spain. Another important member of their squad who has departed this summer is Aleix Vidal, who has moved to Barcelona but won't be able to play for the Spanish champions until January.

Recent form: WWLDLL

Team News

Malaga will be without the services of Brazilian defender Weligton, who was sent off in the club's final game of the season last term against Sevilla.

Flavio Ferreira, Ignacio Camacho and Recio could also sit the game out through injury,

Meanwhile, Grzegorz Krychowiak is expected to miss out for Sevilla after suffering a broken rib in the Super Cup clash against Barcelona.

Daniel Carrico and Nico Pareja are both doubtful due to injury problems, but N'Zonzi could make his debut, having missed out last week due to a stomach bug.

Malaga possible starting lineup:
Kameni, Boka, Angeleri, Torres, Rosales, Filipenko, Amrabat, Guerra, Tighadouini, Cop, Horta

Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Beto, Coke, Rami, N'Zonzi, Tremoulinas, Krohn-Dehli, Iborra, Vitolo, Banega, Reyes, Gameiro

Head To Head

These teams last met on the final day of the season back in May, when Sevilla held off a late fightback from their opponents to secure a 3-2 win.

Emery's side also won the reverse fixture, with Bacca and Denis Suarez scoring in a 2-0 victory at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

We say: Malaga 2-2 Sevilla

Sevilla may be considered the favourites ahead of the match, but they have been leaking goals in the past month. They are also dealing with a number of injury problems at the back, so we think that the hosts can take advantage and start their season by earning a point.