Malaga vs Villarreal – News and Probable Lineups

On Thursday evening, Villarreal will aim to secure their first win of the 2026-27 season as they visit Estadio La Rosaleda to face Malaga.

Currently, the Yellow Submarine occupies the 18th position in the La Liga standings, having accumulated just two points from five matches. In contrast, Malaga sits just above them in 17th place with three points from their first five fixtures.

Match overview

Malaga’s record consists of three draws and two losses after their first five league games this season, with three points placing them in 17th position within the league.

Juan Francisco Funes’ team earned promotion back to this level by successfully navigating the 2025-26 Segunda Division playoffs, and they are still searching for their first win this season.

Coming into this match, the White and Sky Blues draw with Celta Vigo, marking three draws in their last four encounters.

This season, Malaga has had significant difficulties scoring, netting only two goals, which is the second-poorest attacking record following Valencia (one).

In their historical encounters, Malaga and Villarreal have clashed 32 times, with Villarreal leading with 12 wins to Malaga’s 10.

Villarreal has won five out of their last seven matchups against Malaga; however, Malaga triumphed 1-0 when they faced each other last in April 2018.

There’s no denying the difficult start to the season for the Yellow Submarine, who will come into this fixture after experiencing four consecutive defeats across all competitions.

Inigo Perez’s squad started their La Liga journey with two draws against Racing de Santander and Villarreal, but subsequently lost their last three league matches against Alaves, Deportivo La Coruna, and Real Betis, leaving them in 18th place with just two points.

Villarreal was also defeated 3-2 by Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League group stage opener, meaning another loss here would land them five straight defeats.

The Yellow Submarine had a commendable third-place finish in Spain’s top division last season, amassing 72 points over their 38 fixtures.

Team News

Malaga is currently facing several first-team absences, with Julen Lopete, Fernando Calero, Moussa Diarra, Diego Murillo, and Aaron Ochoa out due to injuries, while Adam Aznou, Carlos Dotor, and Alex Pastor are being assessed after missing the match against Celta due to illness.

Chupe has netted once for Malaga this season and is expected to play again in the attacking third for this match.

We also anticipate starts for Joaquin Munoz and David Larrubia in the forward areas.

As for Villarreal, Juan Foyth will miss out due to an Achilles injury, but the Yellow Submarine’s squad remains in solid shape overall.

Head coach Perez is likely to avoid making drastic changes to his lineup after the setback against Real Betis, with Gerard Moreno expected to keep his starting position.

Nicolas Pepe and Santi Comesana are both predicted to continue in the first XI.

Malaga probable starting XI

Blacksmith; Rafita, Recio, Galilea, Salinas; Merino; Larrubia, Martinez, Lorenzo, Munoz; Suck

Villarreal probable starting XI

Gulaksi; Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Romero; Pepe, Gueye, Comesana, Buchanan; G Moreno, Mikautadze

At some point, Villarreal’s winless streak will end, and we expect that moment to arrive on Thursday against a Malaga team that is also finding it difficult to secure a win.