Get the confirmed Malaga vs Villarreal lineups, match prediction, team news, and latest betting odds ahead of this LaLiga clash. Find top insights now.
Malaga vs Villarreal Confirmed Lineups
Competition | LaLiga |
|---|---|
Match Date | Thursday 17 September 2026 |
Kick-off Time | 20:30 UK time |
Venue | La Rosaleda |
The starting lineups for this LaLiga clash between Malaga and Villarreal have been confirmed.
Malaga Starting XI
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Starting XI: Alfonso Herrero, Einar Galilea, José Salinas, Ángel Recio, Carlos Puga, Izan Merino, Pablo Martínez, Carlos Dotor, Juan Cruz, David Larrubia, Chupe
Substitutes: Juani, Rafita, Rafa Rodríguez, Adrián Niño, Carlos López, Dani Lorenzo, Álex Pastor, Ramón Enríquez, Joaquín Muñoz, Juan Berrocal, Eneko Jauregi
Villarreal Starting XI
Formation: 4-4-2
Starting XI: Péter Gulácsi, Sergi Cardona, Renato Veiga, Alex Freeman, Pau Navarro, Santi Comesaña, Tajon Buchanan, Nathan Saliba, Alberto Moleiro, Ayoze Pérez, Ilias Akhomach
Substitutes: Carlos Romero, Georges Mikautadze, Alassane Diatta, Rubén Gómez, Tani Oluwaseyi, Carlos Maciá, Santiago Mouriño, Luiz Júnior, Logan Costa, Pape Gueye, Nicolas Pepe, Gerard Moreno
Malaga vs Villarreal Immediate Reaction
Malaga
Malaga line up in a 4-1-4-1 system with Chupe leading the line as the lone centre-forward. Izan Merino provides the defensive shield at the base of midfield behind Carlos Dotor and Pablo Martínez, while David Larrubia and Juan Cruz provide width. At the back, Einar Galilea partners Ángel Recio in central defence, flanked by full-backs Carlos Puga and José Salinas ahead of goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero.
Villarreal
Villarreal deploy a 4-4-2 formation with Ayoze Pérez partnered in attack by Ilias Akhomach. Santi Comesaña and Nathan Saliba form the central midfield pivot, with Tajon Buchanan and Alberto Moleiro operating on the wings. In defence, Renato Veiga and Pau Navarro start at centre-back between full-backs Alex Freeman and Sergi Cardona, protecting Péter Gulácsi in goal.
Malaga vs Villarreal Reactive Bet Builder
Ahead of kick-off, the recommended bet builder selections focus on four key legs for the visitors. The featured options back Nicolas Pepe to register over 1.5 shots and over 0.5 shots on target, Juan Foyth to be shown a card, and Villarreal to earn over 6.5 total away corners.
Malaga vs Villarreal Prediction After Confirmed Lineups
Villarreal enter the fixture as the pre-match favourites and are tipped to claim all three points on the road. While the visitors are looking to snap a three-match losing streak in the league, Malaga have failed to win any of their last nine matches in LaLiga. Backed by superior firepower in attack through Ayoze Pérez and Ilias Akhomach, the away side are expected to come out on top.
Score Prediction: 1-2
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