Málaga vs Villarreal Prediction - Will Los Boquerones Return To Victories At La Rosaleda?

Next Monday, Málaga will entertain Villarreal at La Rosaleda for round 34 of Liga BBVA on a very important match for the home side since it can almost grant them a place at the Spanish football top tier next season if they win.

Last Monday, Málaga was severely hammered at Bilbao by a much stronger Athletic side that put an abrupt end to two consecutive wins by the Andalusia side. With 38 points conquered so far, Málaga have seven points more than Getafe, who are currently the first team below the relegation line. Nevertheless, with five matches to go until the end of season, that seven point advantage doesn’t mean that they are yet safe from relegation.

Málaga’s poor home form this season has cost them several points, which would have been precious for them right now. The Andalusian team lost eight home matches this term, in opposition to the mere six they won.

The clash against Villarreal, currently at the sixth place of the table, will certainly be a tough one for Bernd Schuster’s side, since their opponents want to grant their place on UEFA’s international competitions next season as soon as possible.

For next Monday’s match, the German manager will still probably not be able to count on the Spanish defender Sergio Sánchez and on the Argentinean defensive midfielder Fernando Tissone, both sidelined due to injury.

Villarreal, which have only managed to grab a win against Levante on injury time thanks to a goal from the French forward Jérémy Perbet, are not enjoying the best of times at La Liga. The Yellow Submarine has only managed to conquer two wins on the last six matches and the team’s performances have been somewhat disappointing, which is made worse by their inability to score.

For next Monday night’s match, Marcelino Toral will probably still not be able to count on the Nigerian forward Uche and on the Spanish defenders José Dorado and Pablo Iniguez.

Last November, when both sides met at El Madrigal, the match ended 1-1 with goals from Bruno Soriano for the home side and Weligton for the visitors. Next Monday’s game will certainly be a close one as well since both sides have had recent inconsistent performances and the small details will probably decide who wins.

Málaga

Stats: W-8 L-15 D-8

Recent Form - WLWLL

Villarreal

Stats: W-15 L-11 D-7

Recent Form - DLWDLW

Possible Line-ups

Málaga (4-2-3-1) – Caballero - Angeleri - Ferreira - Sánchez - Antunes - Darder - Camacho - P. Pérez - Duda - Amrabat - Santa Cruz

Villarreal (4-4-2) – Asenjo - Mario - Gabriel - Pantic - Costa - Pina - Bruno - Goméz - Cani - Perbet - J. Pereira

Prediction: Málaga 1 Villarreal 0