Prediction: Malaga vs Real Madrid

21st October 2011

With coach Manuel Pellegrini and a couple of his players still feeling hard done by Real Madrid, there are no doubts that the hosts will have a special motivation when they welcome los Blancos to their La Rosaleda. Jose Mourinho’s side, on the other hand, are looking to extend their winning run to six games and they probably don’t care who is on the other side of the pitch.

Having spent last few La Liga campaigns fighting for their lives, everybody at Malaga were probably delighted when Sheikh Abdulah Al-Thani completed the club takeover last summer. Probably consumed with other business ventures, the new owner watched as the team struggled in La Liga last season, but after they somehow managed to ensure survival, he splashed piles of cash on new players, with the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joris Mathijsen, Santi Cazorla, Joaquin, Jeremy Toulalan and others all arriving this summer. Given the big squad changes in off season, nobody expected Malaga to hit the ground running early on, but they did extremely well to pick up 13 points from first 6 games, although the weekend’s embarrassing defeat to Levante is certainly something they could have done without. Having won all three home games this term, los Boquerones are certainly hoping to continue the good run, even if that is easer said than done. One former Real Madrid player, Julio Baptista has been ruled out through injury, but Mathijsen, Duda and Apono have all shaken off minor knocks and will be in contention. Keeper Willy Caballero is suspended after picking up a red card against Levante.

Last season showed that Real Madrid have finally come close to matching fierce rivals Barcelona, so no wonder los Blancos believe this will be the season when they upstage the Catalans on both domestic and European front. The first signs have been more than positive, with Real winning eight of ten games this season, seven of which were recorded in very convincing fashion. Los Merengues have been scoring goals for fun of late, bagging 21 in last 5 games, and the trend looks likely to continue against Malaga, although they will have to be wary of the free-scoring opposition, especially as Jose Mourinho will not be able to count on his first choice back line. Ricardo Carvalho and Raul Albiol continue to miss out, meaning that Ramos and Pepe will form a defensive partnership, while Nuri Sahin and Lassana Diarra have stepped up their fitness, but are not yet ready to feature. Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka are expected to start, with Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil dropping to the bench.

Conclusion

Malaga are full of confidence following the bright start to the season and the hosts will not be afraid to attack Real in search for fourth successive home win. With los Blancos likely to go all guns blazing at their opponents, we should see a very open game, where both teams to score looks like the best choice.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 8/11

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler