Will the last-place team remain winless?
The home team faces a truly daunting opponent, and we have a pick ready for the matchup between Málaga and Espanyol Barcelona! The team from the “Rosaleda” hasn’t beaten the Catalans at home since 2011!
Worse still: Six of the last seven home games against Espanyol have ended in defeat for the “Albicelestes.” Currently, all signs point to this losing streak continuing.
Sitting at the bottom of the table, Málaga is the only club in Spain’s top flight still waiting for its first three points this season. With that in mind, we’re predicting an away win for the match between Málaga and Espanyol Barcelona—while also hedging our bet with a draw.
Furthermore, we believe the odds on Roberto Fernandez Jaen scoring for the visitors are attractive. The striker has already netted half a dozen goals in seven league matches.
Málaga – Espanyol Barcelona Head-to-Head Record
As mentioned at the beginning, Espanyol is not a welcome guest in Málaga. The Catalans have gone seven away games without a loss against the “Blanquiazules,” and only once did they fail to take all three points.
On top of that, Málaga has failed to score in five of its last seven home games against the team from the RCDE Stadium. Nevertheless, the odds for the upcoming match between Málaga and Espanyol Barcelona are very evenly split.
Málaga – Espanyol Barcelona Prediction
Málaga has botched its start to the season: Currently, the hosts led by Coach Juan Francisco Funes are at the bottom of La Liga. Their poor performance on the field has stemmed primarily from a weak offense.
With just three goals, the hosts have the league’s lowest goal tally. If the promoted team doesn’t step up soon, they face the immediate threat of relegation back to the Spanish second division. Now, however, they’re set to face the Catalans—a team they’ve historically struggled against—who, for their part, have a goal-scorer in top form in Roberto Fernandez Jaen.
Given this situation, we’re selecting the betting odds for an away win (DNB) in the match between Málaga and Espanyol Barcelona. Furthermore, the odds on more than one goal before halftime could be worth a bet.
Six of the eight goals in the visitors’ three away games so far this season were scored before halftime, and the 1.5-goal line was exceeded every time! This additional prediction is supported by very similar home statistics for Málaga: Five of the six goals scored so far in the newcomer’s three home games have come in the first halves.
