Malaga are expected to draw with Deportivo when the newly promoted sides meet in the Spanish top flight on 24 August 2026.
Both clubs secured promotion from the Segunda last season, but neither began its return to Spain’s highest division with a victory. Malaga were beaten 2-0 away by Atletico in the opening round, while Deportivo were held to a 1-1 draw by Elche.
The match at Malaga’s home ground therefore offers both teams an opportunity to claim their first win of the new campaign. However, the prediction for this fixture is that the sides will cancel each other out and finish level.
Malaga’s promotion came through the play-offs after an impressive run against Las Palmas and Almeria. In the semi-final, Malaga won 1-0 away from home before drawing 1-1 in the return match. That result sent the club through to the final, where Almeria provided the opposition.
The first leg of the final ended goalless on Malaga’s home ground. The Andalusian side then produced the decisive result away from home, winning 2-1 to secure promotion to the Spanish top flight.
Malaga’s return to the division began with a difficult away fixture against Atletico. The hosts were unable to score and conceded twice, leaving them without a point after the first round of matches.
Deportivo took a different route to promotion. The club from La Coruna finished second in the Segunda with 77 points, five behind champions Racing. Their position in the table allowed them to move into the Primera without having to play in the promotion play-offs.
Their first match back in the top division ended with a share of the points. Deportivo and Elche drew 1-1, giving the Galician team one point from the opening round.
The contrasting promotion campaigns mean Malaga and Deportivo arrive at this meeting with different recent experiences, but their starts to the new season have produced a similar outcome: neither has won. Malaga will be looking to respond after defeat by Atletico, while Deportivo will aim to turn a positive draw against Elche into a stronger result.
The recommended selection for the match is a draw. The expectation is that neither side will establish enough control to decide the contest in its favour, making a stalemate the predicted outcome.
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