Málaga CF vs Real Sociedad: Hosts Struggling to End Winless Run Against In-Form Visitors

Málaga CF vs Real Sociedad - 10/18/2026

10/13/2026 67

Málaga CF are desperate to end their winless streak as they welcome Real Sociedad to La Rosaleda in La Liga, with the hosts bottom after eight games and the visitors chasing the European places despite a growing defensive headache.

Key Points

• Málaga remain winless after eight league matches, with only four goals scored and 13 conceded.
• Real Sociedad sit sixth with 13 points and have scored 12 league goals, but they have also conceded 15.
• Adrián Niño has rescued two recent draws for Málaga with late goals against Celta and Espanyol.
• Real Sociedad are short at right-back, with Jon Aramburu and Álvaro Odriozola injured and Pablo Marín suspended.
• The locked prediction keeps Real Sociedad as favourites with a 54% probability of taking all three points.

Recent Form

Málaga CF enter this round rooted to the bottom of the league standings, having failed to win any of their eight matches so far. With just four points, the Andalusians are drawing concern over their form, winless in their last eight league outings.

Recent performances have highlighted their struggles on both ends of the pitch. Málaga CF have only managed to find the net four times, an average of 0.5 per match, while conceding 13, leaving them with a concerning goal difference of minus nine.

Looking at their last five league matches, Málaga have drawn three and lost two, including a 1-1 draw with Espanyol last time out when Adrián Niño struck in added time to rescue a point. Their attacking metrics remain underwhelming, with only 21 shots on target across eight league games.

Home form offers little comfort. Across their last three games at La Rosaleda, Málaga have also failed to secure a victory, drawing two and losing once, with only two goals scored against four conceded.

Historically, Málaga have not had it easy against Real Sociedad at home. Their most recent competitive meeting came in the Copa del Rey, when the Basque side edged a 1-0 win, and home advantage has not been decisive in this fixture recently.

Team News and Probable Lineups

Adding to their worries, Málaga miss key personnel. Julen Lobete is recovering after surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injury, Diego Murillo is out after knee surgery, and Aarón Ochoa and Jens Cajuste also remain sidelined. Juanfran Funes did at least get Fernando Calero back for his first league start of the season against Espanyol, while Adam Aznou returned from injury as a substitute.

Málaga probable XI: Alfonso Herrero; Carlos Puga, Fernando Calero, Ángel Recio, Rafita; Rafa Rodríguez; David Larrubia, Dani Lorenzo, Pablo Martínez, Joaquín Muñoz; Chupe.

Funes has leaned heavily on a 4-1-4-1, with Alfonso Herrero, Recio, Larrubia and Rafita among the regulars. Chupe started the latest match ahead of Eneko Jauregi, while Niño’s recent goals make him a strong impact option if Málaga again need a late spark.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad arrive in strong form, sitting sixth in La Liga with 13 points from eight matches. The visitors have picked up four wins and boast a livelier attack, having scored 12 times, triple Málaga’s output, with a goals-per-match average of 1.5.

Sociedad's recent run includes three wins, one draw and two defeats in their last six league matches. Their attack has looked far sharper than Málaga's, registering 40 shots on target already, although a tally of 15 goals conceded shows why Pellegrino Matarazzo still has work to do defensively.

On the road, Real Sociedad's form is less consistent. They have been winless in nine of their last eleven away fixtures, which offers Málaga some hope. Nevertheless, a 3-2 win at Valencia in their last away league outing demonstrates their capability to earn results in tricky venues.

The Basque side also come into this game after beating Deportivo La Coruña 3-2, a match in which Jon Martín, Arsen Zakharyan and Gonçalo Guedes scored before a late wobble. That result reinforced their attacking depth, but it also created a selection problem: Pablo Marín’s red card leaves him suspended, while Jon Aramburu, Álvaro Odriozola and Luken Beitia are injured. Héctor Fort and Igor Zubeldia are the main solutions at right-back.

Real Sociedad probable XI: Álex Remiro; Héctor Fort, Mamadou Sarr, Jon Martín, Sergio Gómez; Yangel Herrera, Carlos Soler; Ander Barrenetxea, Luka Sucic, Gonçalo Guedes; Mikel Oyarzabal.

Mamadou Sarr, one of the major summer additions, impressed against Deportivo and should stay involved, while Guedes’ goal strengthens his claim in the front line. Oyarzabal was eased back from the bench after international duty and is expected to return to the XI if Matarazzo avoids heavier rotation after European commitments.

Prediction

Prediction models point towards the visitors as favourites, giving Real Sociedad a 54% probability of taking all three points. Málaga’s chronic inefficiency in front of goal and Real Sociedad’s greater attacking options suggest that the hosts will find it difficult to reverse their fortunes, even with the visitors’ defensive absences.

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Málaga CF Real Sociedad 18/10/2026 18:30

242254

21-2

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61°F

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+220 +250 +115 no no no

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