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Matchday 8 · · La Rosaleda

Malaga vs Espanyol: result, lineups and stats

Malaga 20 · 4 points
  • 90+3' Adrián Niño
1 - 1
Espanyol 11 · 8 points
  • 13' Bryan Zaragoza

Lineups Malaga vs Espanyol

Malaga 4-1-4-1 · Funes
1 Herrero
31 Rafita
15 Recio
20 Calero
3 Puga
14 Rodríguez
11 Muñoz
22 Lorenzo
18 Martínez
10 Larrubia
9 Chupe
  • 62' Adam Aznou Puga
  • 62' Adrián Niño Rafa Rodríguez
  • 62' Carlos Dotor Joaquín Muñoz
  • 74' Izan Merino Fernando Calero
  • 82' Haitam Abaida Pablo Martínez

Lineup for Malaga: Herrero, Rafita, Recio, Calero, Puga, Rodríguez, Muñoz, Lorenzo, Martínez, Larrubia, Chupe

Bench
  • 7 H. Abaida 82'
  • 23 Izan Merino 74'
  • 8 Carlos Dotor 62'
  • 13 Carlos López 62'
  • 17 Eneko Jauregi
  • 4 Einar Galilea
  • 6 Ramón Enríquez
  • 21 Adrián Niño Heredia
  • 5 Álex Pastor
  • 39 Adam Aznou Ben Cheikh
  • 25 Juan Berrocal
  • 30 Andrés Céspedes
Absentees Malaga

Ochoa, Murillo, Cajuste, Lobete, Salinas, Diarra (injured), Cruz (doubtful)

Espanyol 4-2-3-1 · Manolo González
1 Fortuño
3 Hartman
6 Cabrera
5 Riedel
23 El Hilali
10 Lozano
8 Expósito
15 Zaragoza
28 Hernández
24 Dolan
9 Fernández
  • 57' Urko González Javi Hernández
  • 73' Álex Calatrava Bryan Zaragoza
  • 82' Roger Hinojo Roberto Fernández
  • 82' Pere Milla Edu Expósito
  • 82' Marcos Fernández Tyrhys Dolan

Lineup for Espanyol: Fortuño, Hartman, Cabrera, Riedel, El Hilali, Lozano, Expósito, Zaragoza, Hernández, Dolan, Fernández

Bench
  • 26 Rafel Bauzà
  • 22 Álex Calatrava 73'
  • 13 M. Dmitrović
  • 16 V. Drkušić
  • 18 Marcos Fernández 82'
  • 4 Urko González 57'
  • 21 Roger Hinojo 82'
  • 11 Pere Milla 82'
  • 14 Unai Núñez
  • 7 Javi Puado
  • 31 Llorenç Serred
  • 20 Gabriel Moscardo
Absentees Espanyol

Carreras, García (injured)

Stats Malaga vs Espanyol

Malaga Match Espanyol
  • 0.67 xG 1.05
  • 58% Possession 42%
  • 15 Shots 9
  • 7 Shots on target 4
  • 6 Shots off target 2
  • 8 Corners 2
  • 10 Fouls 15
  • 2 Offsides 1
  • 4 Yellow cards 5
  • 0 Red cards 0

Pre-match preview

Malaga

Málaga’s main defensive reshuffle comes from José Salinas’s departure on loan, which ends his run of four starts in the last five matches and opens the left-back spot. Rafita, who had filled in there and at right-back, trained at a reduced pace this week after playing a full match for Spain’s under-21s, while Adam Aznou has recovered from his injury and is also in contention for the role.

Puga is expected to return at right-back after missing out against Getafe, and Einar Galilea faces competition from Juan Berrocal in central defence after Berrocal’s first league start last time out.

Jens Cajuste will not recover in time for the match, while Diego Murillo and Julen Lobete remain sidelined.

Espanyol

Espanyol travel to Málaga with Kike García their only unavailable first-team player, while Javi Hernández is fit again after recovering from a minor muscle issue. Javi Puado, who has trained normally for a fortnight, could also get minutes depending on how he feels.

Hernández's return gives Manolo González an alternative to Álex Calatrava, who is expected to continue on the right after starting three of the last five matches. Bryan Zaragoza, handed his first start of the last five against Elche, is favoured to hold off Tyrhys Dolan again on the left. Omar El Hilali is expected to return at right-back after missing that defeat.

Which English players could feature in Malaga vs Espanyol?

1 player
  • Tyrhys Dolan Espanyol Not in the matchday squad

Players to watch

The five players from each team with the most combined goals and assists this season.

All stats

Malaga

  1. Adrián Niño 2 goals 0 assists
  2. Chupe 1 goals 0 assists
  3. Carlos Dotor 1 goals 0 assists
  4. Rafita 0 goals 1 assists
  5. Pablo Martínez 0 goals 1 assists

Espanyol

  1. Roberto Fernández 6 goals 0 assists
  2. Javi Hernández 0 goals 5 assists
  3. Marcos Fernández 1 goals 1 assists
  4. Tyrhys Dolan 1 goals 0 assists
  5. Álex Calatrava 1 goals 0 assists

Playing time and form

Who has played the most in recent weeks, and how have they performed?

Malaga

Player Starts Min. Form
Alfonso Herrero 5/5 450 solid
Ángel Recio 5/5 450 solid
David Larrubia 5/5 450 mixed
Chupe 4/5 383 mixed
Rafita 4/5 382 solid
Pablo Martínez 4/5 344 solid
Dani Lorenzo 4/5 336 mixed
José Salinas 4/4 312 mixed

Espanyol

Player Starts Min. Form
Leandro Cabrera 5/5 450 solid
Roberto Fernández 5/5 432 solid
Edu Expósito 4/5 396 solid
Javi Hernández 5/5 391 solid
Marko Dmitrović 4/4 360 mixed
Omar El Hilali 4/4 353 mixed
Clemens Riedel 3/5 297 mixed
Urko González 3/5 283 mixed

Pre-match prediction

Pre-match goals forecast
1.03 1.27
  • Predicted goals2.3
  • Both teams to score67%
  • Over 2.5 goals50%
  • Corners9.7

Team comparison

MAL home Per match ESP away
0.75 Points 1.00
0.75 Goals for 1.25
1.25 Goals against 1.25
1.26 xG for 1.23
1.29 xG against 1.73
6.3 Corners 3.5
DDLD Home and away form LWLD

Malaga vs Espanyol: head-to-head record

22 previous meetings
5 Malaga 5 draws 12 Espanyol
  • Goals per match2.45
  • Both teams scored41%
  • Over 2.5 goals55%
  • May 2021 Espanyol 3 - 0 Malaga
  • Nov 2020 Malaga 0 - 3 Espanyol
  • May 2018 Espanyol 4 - 1 Malaga
  • Jan 2018 Malaga 0 - 1 Espanyol
  • Feb 2017 Malaga 0 - 1 Espanyol
  • Aug 2016 Espanyol 2 - 2 Malaga
  • Apr 2016 Malaga 1 - 1 Espanyol
  • Nov 2015 Espanyol 2 - 0 Malaga
  • Feb 2015 Malaga 0 - 2 Espanyol
  • Sep 2014 Espanyol 2 - 2 Malaga

Frequently asked questions

Who is unavailable for Malaga against Espanyol?

Malaga are without Juan Cruz (injury), Aaron Ochoa (knee injury), Diego Murillo (knee injury), Jens Cajuste (injury), Julen Lobete (knee injury) and José Salinas (on loan). The full list is above, with the injuries and suspensions.

Who is unavailable for Espanyol against Malaga?

Espanyol are without Jofre Carreras (groin injury) and Kike García (hamstring injury).

What formation do Malaga play?

Malaga have used a 4-1-4-1 in 3 of their last 5 matches. In their last match, they played a 4-1-4-1.

What formation do Espanyol play?

Espanyol have used a 4-2-3-1 in 4 of their last 5 matches. In their last match, they played a 4-2-3-1.

How did the last meeting between Malaga and Espanyol finish?

On 2 May 2021, Espanyol vs Malaga finished 3-0.

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