Atletico Madrid begin their 2026/27 La Liga season with a midweek fixture against newly promoted Malaga on Wednesday evening.
Atleti finished the 2025/26 season in fourth place and are hoping they can put that dismal performance behind them. They finished with 69 points, their lowest total in 14 years.
Diego Simeone’s side are favorites to get their season off to a winning start, having lost their opening league game just once since he took charge 14 seasons ago.
Malaga are making a return to the top tier after an eight-year absence and will be keen to maintain La Liga status for at least a successive season. They sealed their return following a 2-1 aggregate victory over Almeria in June.
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There haven’t been any notable signings for the newcomers over the summer transfer period, however a nine-match unbeaten streak toward the end of last season gives some hope as they prepare for their return.
Can Atletico maintain their prowess of winning their first La Liga match of the season, or will Malaga cause an upset to get the ball rolling positively for them? Here is our predicted outcome for the match.
What time does Atletico vs Malaga start?
The match kicks off at 10PM E.A.T at the Wanda Metropolitano
Atletico vs Malaga team news
The hosts are without forward Alexander Sorloth, who is ruled out with a muscle injury. This is their only major absentee, with Simeone having a full squad to choose from.
New signings Lee Kang-In, Alex Grimaldo and Cristian Romero will all be looking to make their La Liga debuts here for Atletico.
Ademola Lookman will retain his spot in the starting XI, as well as Pablo Barrios and Koke.
Malaga forward Chupe scored a remarkable 25 goals last season and will lead the attacking line here.
They will have to do without the services of Aaron Ochoa who was sent off in the promotion play-off final.
Atletico vs Malaga head-to-head and current form
The last time these sides met was in 2018 and Atletico were narrow 1-0 winners. The home team have won all of their last five matches played against Malaga.
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However, they have only won twice in their last five games in all competitions, with three defeats in that run.
Malaga have only managed one win in their last five outings, losing just once.
Current form:
Atletico – WLLWL
Malaga – DLWDD
Atletico vs Malaga previous games
- Malaga 0-1 Atletico (February 10, 2018)
- Atletico 1-0 Malaga (September 16, 2017)
- Malaga 0-2 Atletico (April 1, 2017)
- Atletico 4-2 Malaga (October 29, 2016)
- Atletico 1-0 Malaga (April 23, 2016)
Atletico vs Malaga prediction
Atleti come into the game as favorites to win with plenty of attacking options in their squad. Their record of winning their first La Liga match of the season is also a statistic to consider ahead of the match.
Malaga have conceded 11 goals in their last five matches and this is set to continue here, especially against Atleti’s potent attacking threat.
Prediction – Atletico to win – PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME HERE!