Malaga go head-to-head with Valencia in La Liga this weekend, with the home side in desperate need of three points if they are to have any chance of survival come the end of the campaign. However, opponents Valencia currently sit third in the standings, making them the favourites at the La Rosaleda Stadium on Saturday evening.
Spanish La Liga – Malaga v Valencia – La Rosaleda Stadium, Malaga – Saturday 17th February – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 12/5 at Coral |
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Málaga CF
ValenciaMatch Preview
Malaga host Valencia in the Spanish top-flight this weekend, with the hosts looking to end a run of five matches without a win in La Liga. The home side have won just three matches all season, with opponents Valencia looking to pile yet more misery onto manager José Manuel González López come Saturday evening. For those still unsure of who to back ahead of kick-off, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Malaga Team News & Form
Malaga suffered a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Atletico Madrid last time around, meaning that they now sit seven points away from safety in the La Liga table. The hosts have scored just 14 goals from their 23 matches to date, conceding 36 goals in the process. Midfielders Adrian Gonzales and Jose Recio will look to control the game this weekend, while strikers Borja Baston, Adalberto Peñaranda and Diego Rolan will potentially look to provide a significant goalscoring threat for the hosts. Malaga have already lost 16 matches in La Liga this season.
Valencia Team News & Form
Valencia ended a run of three consecutive La Liga defeats with a comfortable 3-1 win over Levante over the weekend, consolidating their position in the top four as a result. The visitors have the third-best goalscoring record in the division, having scored 45 goals so far this season. Simone Zaza, Santi Mina and Rodrigo have 28 goals between them, with the trio potentially lining up for the visitors this weekend. Elsewhere, on-loan Manchester United man Andres Pereira could return from injury in midfield, alongside former Arsenal man Francis Coquelin.
Head to Head
The two teams have 24 times in the past, with Valencia having won on 15 of such matches, whilst drawing five times in the process. As well as this, Valencia have won the last two meetings between the duo, with an aggregate score of 7-0.
Malaga v Valencia – Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite being the home team this weekend, their performances throughout the season means that it comes as little surprise that Malaga are the underdogs for victory with all online bookmakers. The hosts can be backed at appealing odds of 11/4 with Ladbrokes, while a success for Valencia is available at 1/1 with Skybet.
Top Betting Tip Malaga v Valencia
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on their being under 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes, which is available at odds of 17/20 with bookmaker PaddyPower.