Valued at around 20 million euros in total on the Transfer Market website (www.transfermarkt.cm), the modest Malmo squad consists of home-produced players and low-budget signings brought in by sporting director Daniel Andersson.
Malmo do have some pedigree in Europe having reached the 1979 European Cup final where they lost to Nottingham Forest.
Since then, however, the gulf between Europe's big leagues has grown so wide that it is almost impossible for a club of Malmo's limited means to survive beyond the group phase.
Yet, there will be no sense of inferiority on Wednesday as the 18-times Swedish champions welcome Rafa Benitez's side to the 24,000-capacity Swedbank Stadion -- even if their ambition is to finish third in Group A and continue in the Europa League.
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"No matter who they put in, it will be a world-famous star," captain Markus Rosenberg told reporters of the prospect of meeting the 10-times European champions.
"Nobody is counting on us to take points, but when we play offensively and get the crowd behind us, anything can happen."
Madrid put down an early Champions League marker with a 4-0 thrashing of Shakhtar Donetsk, following on from 5-0 and 6-0 La Liga wins against Real Betis and Espanyol respectively, but the goal flow has dried up as they arrive in southern Sweden.
They managed only three goals in narrow victories over Granada and Athletic Bilbao while a scoreless draw with Malaga on Saturday cost them top spot.
"These things happen in football," Benitez said after the stalemate. "We need to keep working, create chances and be more accurate".
Malmo will have to find a way to shackle Cristiano Ronaldo who scored a hat-trick against Donetsk to become the all-time highest scorer in the Champions League with 80 goals.
The Portuguese has another chance to overtake Raul as Real's all-time leading marksman on Wednesday.
Former Spain striker Raul, now with New York Cosmos, netted 323 goals in 741 appearances, while Ronaldo has a jaw-dropping 321 in just 307 matches.
Malmo goalkeeper Johan Wiland, who kept Lionel Messi out when he played for FC Copenhagen against Barcelona in the Champions League in 2010, will be doing all he can to stop Ronaldo breaking that record.
Asked by newspaper Kvallsposten if Ronaldo was over-valued compared to his Malmo team mates, Wiland laughed said: "I'm not going to stand here and say that today, if I do they'll smash in four on Wednesday," the 34-year-old said.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, additional reporting by Iain Rogers in Madrid; editing by Martyn Herman)
