Espanyol vs Malaga preview - Malaga must aim for top four - Maresca

Malaga midfielder Enzo Maresca wants his team to boost their chances of a top-four finish when they travel to fellow Champions League contenders Espanyol on Sunday.

Malaga moved level on points with fourth-placed Levante with a 4-2 win over Rayo Vallecano on Thursday night and travel to an Espanyol side just one place and four points worse off.

The hosts were held to a 1-1 draw at Real Betis in midweek and Maresca wants to deal their ambitions to claim a top-four place in the Primera Division a further blow.

"The three points from the Rayo match, as well as the point we took away from the Bernabeu (in a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid last weekend) are crucial," he said on the club's official website.

"We're having a great season at home, and we need to keep working hard to gain points in away matches.

"Our aim is to take it step by step, match by match, and see where we end up in May.

"We know we're three points away from third place, tied in fourth, but we need to keep doing what we're doing and see if we can finish in the first four.

"It's always important to have an advantage on points over our rivals. But we're going there to play our game, with our team philosophy, and try to bring three points home."

Both teams are in good form, Malaga having won four and drawn one of their last five and Espanyol having taken seven points from nine.

The visitors have won just three times away from home in the league this term, though.

They will also be without French midfielder Jeremy Toulalan, who is expected to miss the majority of the remainder of the season as he is to undergo surgery on a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.

Espanyol are likely to have to do without Sergio Garcia as he picked up a hamstring injury in the win over Racing Santander last weekend.