Malaga vs. Atletico Madrid: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Malaga will welcome Atletico Madrid to the Rosaleda on Saturday, concluding a busy week for both teams in La Liga following midweek action.
For the hosts, the visit from the defending champions comes at an important time, with Javi Gracia's men currently in the midst of a five-game slump in which they've claimed only a sole victory over last-placed Cordoba.
Indeed, on Tuesday, the Andalusians became the first side to be beaten by free-falling Eibar in three months.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Fortunately, however, Malaga's hopes of qualifying for European football haven't completely vanished, with Villarreal, currently one place ahead in sixth, enduring an equally difficult stretch that continued this week when they were beaten 3-0 at home by Espanyol.
For the visitors, meanwhile, the last seven days have been kind.
With consecutive victories over Cordoba and Real Sociedad, Diego Simeone's men have reclaimed control of third place in a week in which their rivals for the final Champions League qualification spot, Valencia, have dropped points to Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao.
Additionally, Atleti appear to have recaptured their knack for swatting aside opponents with a minimum of fuss, barely getting out of second gear in the waltzes past Los Blanquiverdes and La Real.
Lineup wise, Simeone is likely to utilise a very similar XI to that seen on Tuesday, featuring Fernando Torres up front with Antoine Griezmann in the absence of Mario Mandzukic. Of the few changes, Gabi could replace Tiago having sat out the clash with Real Sociedad, while Juanfran will slot in at right-back following his one-game suspension.
Date: Saturday, April 11
Time: 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio La Rosaleda, Malaga
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)
Form Lines
| L: 0-1 vs. Eibar | W: 2-0 vs. Real Sociedad |
| D: 1-1 vs. Real Sociedad | W: 2-0 vs. Cordoba |
| L: 0-1 vs. Rayo Vallecano | W: 2-0 vs. Getafe |
| W: 2-0 vs. Cordoba | W: 1-0 vs. Bayer Leverkusen |
| L: 0-1 vs. Granada | D: 0-0 vs. Espanyol |
| W: 3-2 vs. Getafe | D: 1-1 vs. Valencia |
Predicted Formations
Players to Watch
For those who haven't spent considerable time watching Malaga this season, emerging forward Juanmi is the home-side's player to keep an eye on.
Developing steadily into a penalty-area predator, the 21-year-old is an adept, one-touch finisher in front of goal.
In 2014-15, his seven goals have come in a multitude of ways, from thunderous blasts following a rebound to cute chips and pokes with the outside of his right boot.
So impressive has he been that Juanmi was recently rewarded with a call up to Vicente del Bosque's Spain squad.
For the visitors, Koke has been in outstanding touch since his return from injury last month, powering Atletico back to form with his unrelenting work rate, passing vision and exquisite set-piece delivery.
On Tuesday, his vicious corners and free-kicks completely overwhelmed Real Sociedad and were instrumental in giving Simeone's side a 2-0 lead within the opening 10 minutes.
Away from home and without Mandzukic, Atletico will need those skills against Malaga, but will also need his pinpoint passing to break down the hosts and allow Griezmann and Torres to attack the open spaces behind the home side's back four.
Key Battle
Watching Malaga at Eibar on Tuesday was to observe a team that's lost a large portion of its confidence after a difficult run in La Liga.
Lacking creativity, Gracia's men rarely troubled the struggling Basque outfit and spent the vast majority of the night taking shots from distance due to an inability to craft scoring chances.
Against Atletico, one of the hardest teams in Europe to break down, a drastic change will need to occur in midfield, and the likes of Samu Castillejo, Ricardo Horta and Samuel will have to maintain a high intensity and buzz around Atleti's midfield for the whole 90 minutes.
In a contest that will almost certainly be an arm wrestle, can those Malaga players get on top of Simeone's reliable anchors in Gabi, Tiago or Mario Suarez?
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Malaga: 14/5
Draw: 12/5
Atletico Madrid: 1/1
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
