Atletico Madrid vs Malaga
Atletico Madrid secure comfortable win over Malaga
Lee Kang-In and Álex Baena seal a 2-0 victory for the home side.
Atletico Madrid put Malaga to the sword with a 2-0 win in La Liga, thanks to second-half strikes from Lee Kang-In and Álex Baena. The goals came after the break, breaking the deadlock at 70 minutes and sealing the result with a late finish at 85 minutes. Fipster's prediction of a home win was on the money, though the actual scoreline was a bit more generous than the anticipated 1-0.
Analysis
The new La Liga season kicks off with Atletico Madrid facing Malaga in what promises to be a closely contested encounter. Both teams are eager to start their campaigns on a positive note, with Atleti looking to leverage their experience against the newly promoted Malaga side.
Atletico Madrid finished last season strongly, securing 69 points and a fourth-place finish in La Liga. Malaga, on the other hand, are stepping up to this level after promotion, bringing fresh energy but lacking top-flight experience. The Colchoneros have made a notable signing in M. Hjulmand, while losing A. Griezmann, which could influence their midfield dynamics this season.
Given Atletico Madrid's superior goal difference and points per game last season, they enter this match as favourites. The prediction models suggest a 62% chance of a home win, with a 1-0 scoreline being the most probable outcome. The game is expected to be competitive, with around four cards likely, reflecting a spirited but controlled contest.
Prediction
Expect Atletico Madrid to clinch a narrow 1-0 victory by full time, having taken the lead by halftime. The match should be tight, with Malaga putting up a fight but ultimately unable to break down Atleti's defence.
Outcome probability
Key Takeaways
This season opener sets the tone for both teams, with Atletico Madrid aiming to assert their status early on. Malaga will look to gain valuable experience and possibly spring a surprise, but the prediction leans towards a disciplined and efficient performance from the home side.
- Atletico Madrid finished 4th in La Liga last season with 69 points from 38 games.
- Malaga are newly promoted and making their return to this competition.
- Atletico Madrid have a significantly better goal difference than Malaga from last season.
- Atletico Madrid have a points-per-game average of 1.82 compared to Malaga's 0.00 in their respective last seasons.
- Atletico Madrid signed M. Hjulmand during the summer transfer window.
- Atletico Madrid lost A. Griezmann to free agency this summer.
- Prediction models give Atletico Madrid a 62.24% chance of winning this match.
- The most probable fulltime scoreline is 1-0 in favour of Atletico Madrid.
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Hancko
Yellow Card
Yellow Card
Puga
Yellow Card
Unknown
Martín
Unknown
Mendoza
Unknown
Muñoz
Lee Kang-In
Assist: Hancko
Puga
Koke
Yellow Card
Galilea
Dani Lorenzo
Álex Baena
Enríquez
Yellow Card
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barcelona | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 9 |
| 2 |  Real Madrid | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 9 |
| 3 |  Atletico Madrid | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| 4 |  Alaves | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| 19 |  Elche | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 1 |
| 20 |  Malaga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 1 |
Match Statistics
Atletico Madrid
4-1-4-1Starting XI
- 4Rodrigo MendozaM
- 6KokeM
- 8Pablo BarriosM
- 11A. LookmanF
- 12Carlos MartínM
- 13J. OblakG
- 17D. HanckoD
- 24Robin Le NormandD
- 30Dani MartÃnezD
Substitutes
- 1J. MussoG
- 2J. GiménezD
- 5J. CardosoM
- 7Lee Kang-InM
- 10Álex BaenaM
- 14Marcos LlorenteM
- 18Marc PubillD
- 20G. SimeoneF
- 22Álex GrimaldoD
- 23M. HjulmandM
- 29M. LlorenteF
Malaga
4-1-4-1Starting XI
- 1Alfonso HerreroG
- 3PugaD
- 4Einar GalileaD
- 9ChupeF
- 10David LarrubiaM
- 11Joaquín MuñozM
- 15Ángel RecioD
- 22Dani LorenzoM
- 23Izan MerinoM
- 31RafitaD
Substitutes
- 6Ramón EnríquezM
- 7H. AbaidaF
- 12José SalinasD
- 13Carlos LópezG
- 14Rafa RodríguezM
- 24Julen LobeteF
Atletico Madrid
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dávid Hancko | D | 94 | 8.3 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — |
| Pablo Barrios | M | 94 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4/5 |
| Koke(C) | M | 78 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Rodrigo Mendoza | M | 57 | 6.9 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1/4 |
| Robin Le Normand | D | 94 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Jan Oblak | G | 94 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dani Martinez | D | 94 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | 4/8 |
| Ademola Lookman | F | 94 | 6.5 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 0/2 |
| Carlos Martín | M | 57 | 6.2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Johnny Cardoso | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marc Pubill | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alejandro Grimaldo | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| José María Giménez | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Juan Musso | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Miguel Cubo | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kang-in Lee | M | 37 | 8.2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Alex Baena | M | 37 | 7.7 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — |
| Morten Hjulmand | M | 16 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marcos Llorente | M | 49 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Giuliano Simeone | F | 37 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Malaga
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso Herrero(C) | G | 94 | 7.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dani Lorenzo | M | 80 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| Einar Galilea | D | 80 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| Joaquín Muñoz | M | 67 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/3 |
| Carlos Puga | D | 72 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2/3 |
| Izan Merino | M | 94 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rafa Garrido | D | 94 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| David Larrubia | M | 94 | 6.2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1/5 |
| Ángel Recio | D | 94 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chupete | F | 94 | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/3 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Haitam Abaida | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carlos Lopez | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Julen Lobete | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ramón Enríquez | M | 14 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rafa Rodriguez | M | 27 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Jose Salinas | D | 22 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |