Barcelona starts toughest stretch at Malaga

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -Runaway Spanish leader Barcelona travels to fourth-place Malaga on Sunday to enter its toughest period of the season with five of its next eight games away from Camp Nou.

Lionel Messi, fresh from collecting his record fourth world player of the year, will lead Barcelona with his league-best 27 goals. Barcelona is aiming to reach the season's midway point unbeaten after winning 17 games and drawing just once.

Barcelona and Malaga will then meet twice more over the next two weeks in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

Atletico Madrid is 11 points behind Barcelona before hosting Real Zaragoza also on Sunday.

Real Madrid will try to avoid another slip at bottom dweller Osasuna come Saturday without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo and its defense in tatters.