Malaga vs Osasuna:
2016/17 Spanish La Liga.
Date: Friday, 19 August, 2016
Kick-off: 19:45 UK.
Venue: Estadio La Rosaleda (Malaga).


The 2016/17 season of Spanish La Liga kick start when Malaga host the newly promoted Osasuna on Friday, 19th of August 2016.

Malaga were eighth in the 2015/16 league standings and missed out on a chance to play European football this season. They will start the season with Juande Ramos at the helm, who previously managed the club for a one year spell from 2003.

The Boquerones had an excellent run during the pre-season, winning 8 of the 9 friendlies. Their only defeat was in penalties against Alemannia Aachen.

Osasuna gained promotion in the first season after getting relegated from the first division at the end of 2014/15 season. They were sixth in the Segunda Division and were level on points with Alcoron and Zaragoza on 7th and 8th respective. A better head-to-head record against those two clubs helped them clinch the final play-off spot. Osasuna won in each of the two legs of semi-final against Gimanastic and the two legged final against Girona.

The Los Rojillos has a miserable pre-season after losing in 5 if the 7 friendly matches. They managed just 1 win and that too against the reserve side of Sevilla. The only positive during the period was a 1-1 draw against Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.

Malaga vs Osasuna: Head-to-Head Stats

  • Five of the last eight matches between these two sides in all competitions were draws. While Malaga won twice and Osasuna were victorious in one.
  • Malaga’s last home game against Osasuna in the La Liga resulted in a 1-0 defeat, on October 2013.
  • Malaga had won only once in the last five home games against Osasuna, losing 1 and drawing thrice.

Malaga vs Osasuna: Prediction

It is hard to separate these two sides from the head-to-head statistics. Also these two sides have entire different season expectation this term. Malaga will be bidding for Europa League spot, while Osasuna’s immediate plan is to stay as far as possible from the relegation zone.

Since this is the first match of the season, the teams are expected to adopt a cautious approach. So this could be a very cagey affair with both teams trying to avoid a defeat here. Also 8 of the last 9 matches between these two sides have seen under 2.5 goals. So this expected to be a low scoring affair.


Malaga’s fine form during the pre-season and home advantage make them slim favourites for this tie. So I will be backing a 1-0 win for the home side at the final whistle.

Malaga vs Osasuna: Betting Tips

  1. Malaga to win at 1.70.
  2. Under 2.5 goals at 1.80.