Atletico - Malaga. On the eve

The Spanish La Liga for the 2026/27 season opens its doors with a clash in the capital, where Atletico Madrid will test the newcomers of the top division, Malaga. For the hosts, this match is a great opportunity to get the league off to a good start and take the three points straight away, while the Andalusians will be keen to prove that their return to the elite after a long hiatus is no fluke. Atletico Madrid - Malaga Wednesday, August 19, 22:00, Metropolitano, Madrid Live broadcast on the MEGOGO media service. Last season was ambiguous for the "mattress players": the fourth final step with a huge gap of 25 points from the champion Barcelona clearly did not correspond to the ambitions of the club. In the summer, the manager of the capital Diego Simeone significantly updated the defensive and midfield potential, signing Alejandro Grimaldo, Lee Kang-in, Morten Julmand and Christian Romero. Despite a series of test matches with mixed success, where Madrid beat Marseille and Getafe, but conceded to Manchester United and Manchester City, on their own field, the "mattressniki" remain the undisputed favourites. Home statistics against Malaga are also on the side of the "Indians", who have won the last five face-to-face meetings in a row. Málaga return to the top flight for the first time since 2017/18, securing a coveted ticket through a tough Segunda play-off grid. Under Juan Francisco Funes, the Andalusians have had a fairly modest transfer campaign, adding Juan Cruz, Fernando Calero and Jose Salinas, but missing out on several key performers, including Darko Brasanatz. The build-up to the top flight has been difficult with just one win in pre-season, although a recent 2-2 draw against Fulham has given fans a boost of optimism. The main task of the guests in the capital will be to hold back the starting attack of the hosts and play reliably near their own goal. The personnel situation creates a certain headache for both mentors. In Atlético, the participation of Alexandre Serlot is in question due to a micro-injury, as well as Julián Alvarez, whose future is surrounded by rumors. Grimaldo and Lee Kang-in are expected to make their official game debuts, although Christian Romero is not yet ready to take the field. Málaga have more losses: Aaron Ochoa is suspended, and Carlos Dotor, Fernando Calero, Diego Murillo and Adrián Niño are in the infirmary. In addition, the participation of Juanpe is in question, so the guests are expected to have a forced rotation in the defensive line. Given the huge gap in the class of performers and statistics of head-to-head meetings, Atlético will have the total initiative throughout the match. If Malaga fail to show perfect discipline in defence, Madrid could give the newcomer a stern reception. It is expected that Simeone's wards will try to decide the fate of the match in the first half in order to calmly lead the game to a victorious final. Atletico Madrid is the undisputed favorite of the meeting with odds of 1.33 to win. Malaga's triumph is priced at 10.00, while a draw is priced at 5.33. Estimated compositions Atlético Madrid: Oblak - Pubil, Le Norman, Ganzko - Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Grimaldo - Can Ying - Lukman, Ortiz. Malaga: Herrero - Puga, Recio, Galilea, Salinas - Larrubia, Rodriguez, Meno, Lorenzo, Muñoz - Chupe. Will not play: Romero (Atletico Madrid) — Ochoa, Dotor, Calero, Murillo, Niño (Malaga). In question: Serlot, Alvarez (Atletico Madrid) — Juanpe (Malaga). Current form Face-to-face meetings forecast 2:1