🇪🇸 Málaga vs Espanyol 🇪🇸 — Prediction
La Liga · Matchday 8 · Fri, 09 Oct 2026, 21:00 CEST · La Rosaleda, Málaga
Why we called it
Málaga are winless in five (0-1 Getafe, 1-3 Villarreal, 1-1 Celta, 0-0 Levante, 0-4 Real Madrid) and have scored only three times all season, with Larrubia, Chupete and Dotor their only scorers, though Funes gets Calero and Aznou back after the break while Cajuste, Murillo, Lobete and Ochoa stay out. Espanyol have lost four of seven, including 2-1 at Rayo and 1-3 at home to Elche, and are without both Puado and Kike García, so Roberto Fernández (six league goals already) carries the attack in a 4-3-3 with Cabrera back from suspension. Bookmakers price it almost level (around 2.6 home, 3.1 draw, 2.7 away) with no clear favourite, so this is a coin-flip and the rule says draw. The exact-score market fits because 1-1 is the obvious draw: Espanyol concede nearly every week, while a blunt Málaga at home are unlikely to need more than one goal from Larrubia to match Roberto's strike.