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Malaga lost most of its funding this season and of course with it the best players have left the club, so expectations were not too high for the hosts this year. Despite this, Malaga produced a honorable start to the season and you can find them on 10th place at the moment. Their performances at home have been particularly impressive, Malaga winning 2 games out of three with a goal difference of 7-1, getting beat only by Barca in the 2nd round, 1-0. After all the departures the team was still left with a top class front line that includes Portillo, Roque Santa Cruz and former Ajax and Fiorentina marksman El Hamdaui. The trio scored 7 goals together in La Liga so far.
Osasuna is in a somewhat similar situation to Malaga, with the visitors losing almost their entire first team in the off-season. The problem is that they were already at a rather low level so now they really find themselves unable to cope with the level required in the Primera Division. Osasuna lost 6 out of 7 games so far and do not look likely to improve. A 1-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid two rounds ago showed some signs of better things to come, but immediately Osasuna lost 0-1 at home to Levante in a very poor performance. While Malaga performs very well right now, Osasuna is in a big slump, they actually sacked the manager recently, bringing in former Almeria boss Javi Garcia – but with no change in results.
The hosts are in great form, not losing in the last 5 league games, and they are close to a clean bill of health so Bernd Schuster`s side can approach the match at full strength. Malaga traditionally had tough matches with Osasuna in the last years but my input is that it’s unlikely for history and Head 2 Head results to make a difference today – the teams are totally different with all the squad changes.
I reckon Malaga has enough to win this game, particularly because of their superb front line that matches up great against Osasuna`s terrible defense – Osasuna conceded at least a goal in all games this season. We could also see an over 2.5, but Malaga defended well in the last few games and they are much more likely to win 2-0 then lose 1-2, so I`ll go with the home win instead of betting on goals. At some point Osasuna will start to make some upsets and get some points but it seems unlikely they can do it on the road, out of nowhere, against a very good team. I can’t see beyond in-form Malaga against this damaged visiting side, so my call is 2-0 for the home team.
Pick: Malaga
Odds: 1.60 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 4.80
Event date: 4 October
Editor Facts
- Ocean is 3 for 4 in the Primera Division this season
