Malaga VS RCD Espanyol

Malaga and Espanyol head into Friday night’s La Liga meeting looking to recover from disappointing results before the international break. Malaga are in serious trouble at the bottom of the table after collecting only three points from seven matches, with three draws and four defeats leaving them still without a league victory. Their return to the Spanish top flight after earning promotion through the 2025-26 Segunda Division playoffs has proved difficult so far, particularly in attack, where they have scored only three goals. Their recent record against Espanyol offers little encouragement either, as Malaga have failed to beat the Catalan side in their last 14 league meetings and have lost each of the previous five encounters. Espanyol have made a slightly stronger start but remain in the lower half of the standings with seven points from seven games. They opened the campaign with a convincing victory over Levante and later secured another three points against Osasuna, but consecutive defeats to Rayo Vallecano and Elche have halted their progress. After finishing 11th last season, Espanyol will hope to avoid another inconsistent campaign and improve their fortunes before poor results become a wider concern. Their recent dominance over Malaga should provide additional confidence, while Roberto Fernandez has emerged as an important attacking threat after scoring six goals in his first seven league appearances. Malaga, meanwhile, will need a significant improvement in both creativity and finishing if they are to take advantage of home conditions.