🏏 Sun, 18 Oct 2026 18:30 CEST
Malaga
vs
Real Sociedad
4-4-2 vs 4-4-2
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- This is a meeting of extremes: Malaga sit 20th and last on four points from eight matches, with no wins, four draws and four defeats, scoring just four goals while conceding 13 for a goal difference of minus nine. Real Sociedad arrive sixth on 13 points from four wins, one draw and three losses, chasing a Barcelona side that has already banked 27 points at the top.
- Malaga's recent run is defined by stalemates: a goalless home draw with Levante in round four, 1-1 away at Celta Vigo in round five, and another 1-1 at home to Espanyol in round eight. The two losses came against Villarreal (1-3 at home) and Getafe (0-1 away). Four goals in eight league games explains why the promoted side is still searching for its first top-flight victory.
- Sociedad come in on the back of two narrow wins, both settled by a single goal: 3-2 away at Valencia in round seven and 3-2 at home to Deportivo La Coruna in round eight. The caveat is their defending — 15 goals conceded in eight matches and a minus-three goal difference, including a 0-3 home thrashing by Atletico Madrid in round five, is unusual for a side in sixth.
- Takefusa Kubo starts on the right of Sociedad's 4-4-2. The 25-year-old left-footed winger came through FC Tokyo before joining Real Madrid and spending loan spells at Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe, and he is now the team's chief creator, drawing defenders in with his close control before cutting inside or slipping the final pass. Malaga's left side includes academy product Rafita, a converted winger who was moved into the back line and has signed on until 2029.
- Sociedad's front pair pits captain Mikel Oyarzabal, the left-footed forward who scored the winning goal in the EURO 2024 final, alongside Orri Oskarsson, the 22-year-old, 186cm Iceland captain signed from FC Copenhagen for a club-record 20 million euros. Malaga answer with centre-backs Angel Recio, a 23-year-old standing 185cm, and 31-year-old Fernando Carrero, who brings top-flight mileage from Valladolid and Espanyol.
- Malaga's attack is built around two 22-year-olds: Carlos Ruiz, the 185cm striker who won the Segunda golden boot with 25 goals, and Adrian Nino, an Atletico Madrid academy graduate who scored 12 last season at 184cm. Supplying them is No. 10 David Larrubia, the 172cm creator who scored the goal that sealed promotion and doubles as the team's set-piece taker.
- The visitors' back four is strikingly young. Mamadou Sarr, the 21-year-old Senegalese centre-back who passed through Strasbourg's academy and Chelsea, provides 194cm of aerial presence, while his partner Jon Martin is a 20-year-old homegrown defender capped by Spain at U-19 level. Right-back Hector Fort, also 20, is on loan from Barcelona's La Masia and already has Champions League minutes on his record.
- In midfield, Sociedad lean on Carlos Soler — a veteran of Valencia, Paris Saint-Germain and a West Ham loan whose set-piece delivery and late runs into the box remain dangerous — with Jon Gorrotxategi, the 24-year-old Eibar-born holder who sharpened up on loan at Mirandes, screening behind. Malaga counter with Carlos Dotor, the 25-year-old Real Madrid youth product on loan from Celta Vigo, and Izan Merino, born in 2006, who made 37 appearances last season and extended his deal to 2028.
- The goalkeeping duel offers contrasting profiles. Malaga captain Alfonso Herrero, 32, has started 129 of a possible 130 league matches across his three seasons at the club and kept 13 clean sheets last term to drive the promotion push. Alex Remiro, 31 and 192cm, is a EURO 2024 winner with more than 300 career appearances, and his command of crosses and distribution are vital cover for Sociedad's inexperienced defence.
- Both benches carry Barcelona pedigree. Malaga can call on Adam Aznou, the 20-year-old Morocco international left-back developed at La Masia who then moved through Bayern Munich and Everton, plus Sweden midfielder Jens Cajuste, 27 and 188cm, formerly of Napoli and Ipswich. Sociedad's options include Sergio Gomez, a Barcelona graduate who collected six trophies at Manchester City, Portugal forward Goncalo Guedes and Croatia's Luka Sucic — depth that could decide the closing stages.