Current Form Reversal

Malaga and Granada have seemingly reversed their fortunes. Last season, Malaga was fighting to avoid relegation, while Granada aimed for a playoff spot. Now, the tables have turned, with Malaga entering this match from a position of strength.

Malaga’s Defensive Solidity

Malaga’s current dominance is underpinned by their stingy defense, having conceded only one goal and securing seven out of a possible nine points. They’ve clinched classic low-scoring 1-0 victories against Real Sociedad B and Las Palmas. Their only stumble was a 1-1 draw against Eibar, where they had to fight back. Towards the end of the previous season, they also recorded two narrow 1-0 home wins. Overall, four of their last six matches have seen fewer than 2.5 goals.

Granada’s Defensive Woes

In stark contrast, Granada’s defense appears to be in disarray, having shipped eight goals recently. Eibar, for instance, proved to be a far more formidable opponent for them, resulting in a 0-3 defeat. In their final six fixtures of the 2024/25 season, “Los Nazaries” (Granada) played out low-scoring matches three times. Looking at their away games during that period, they lost three out of four, with none of those matches featuring more than three goals.

Historical Encounters and Prediction

Notably, one of those encounters was against Malaga, where a solitary penalty goal from Antonio Cordero was enough for “Los Boquerones” (Malaga) to secure a 1-0 victory. Considering Malaga’s current form and Granada’s defensive vulnerabilities, I anticipate a Malaga win again, with a slight buffer on the total goals given Granada’s defensive struggles.