Real Madrid is set to host Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday in their next La Liga fixture.
Jose Mourinho’s men head to this match after back-to-back wins in their first two league matches and will aim to make it three out of three.
Real Madrid vs Malaga – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 30th August.
- Kick-off: 4pm BST.
- Venue: Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid.
Real Madrid team news
Real Madrid faces a notable fitness crunch heading into tonight’s match, with manager José Mourinho forced to navigate seven confirmed first-team absentees.
The squad missed several key players during final group training sessions at Valdebebas. Defensive options are severely limited as Éder Militão is sidelined with a hamstring injury, Ferland Mendy is out with a hip problem, and youngster Raúl Asencio is nursing a shin injury.
Thiago Pitarch and Rodrygo are completely ruled out due to knee injuries. The medical room filled up further after recent knocks sidelined Endrick and midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni with muscle issues.
To manage this depleted squad amidst a congested fixture list, Mourinho is expected to shake up his starting eleven.
Marc Cucurella is confirmed to make his first start at left-back ahead of Álvaro Carreras, while heavy squad rotation could also hand Trent Alexander-Arnold and Brahim Díaz their first starts of the campaign.
Malaga team news
Málaga CF enters the Santiago Bernabéu facing an equally severe availability crisis, leaving manager Juan Funes with a massively depleted squad for this daunting away fixture.
The newly promoted side is missing a core spine of players across all departments, heavily complicating their tactical setup against the league leaders.
In defence, the visitors will be without the experience of Fernando Calero, who is recovering from a broken rib, alongside Diego Murillo, who remains a long-term absentee with a cruciate ligament injury.
The midfield and attacking depth are also heavily impacted; dynamic youngster Aaron Ochoa is out following meniscus surgery, Moussa Diarra is sidelined with a soleus muscle injury, and forward Adrián Niño is unavailable due to a thigh strain.
These extensive absences force Funes to rely heavily on academy graduates and secondary squad options like Chupete and Larrubia to plug major gaps in the starting lineup.
Form
Real Madrid
Real Madrid enters this fixture in impressive form, sitting near the top of the table after securing a perfect start to their domestic season under José Mourinho. Los Blancos have picked up a maximum of six points from their opening two matches, showing immense attacking fluency. They opened the campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 away victory against RCD Espanyol before thoroughly dominant displays at home, most recently dismantling Real Sociedad 4-1, powered by an incredible hat-trick from superstar Kylian Mbappé.
Malaga
Málaga CF faces a much tougher reality upon their emotional return to Spain’s top flight after an eight-year absence, struggling to build consistent momentum. Caretaker manager Juan Funes has seen his side capture just one point from their opening two games. They began the season with a demanding 2-0 defeat away at Atlético Madrid. However, they showed resilience in their second match, fighting back to earn a 1-1 home draw against fellow newly-promoted side Deportivo La Coruña.
Predicted lineups
Real Madrid: Courtois; Arnold, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Silva, Valverde; Diaz, Bellingham, Vini Jr; Mbappe
Malaga: Herrero; Puga, Recio, Galilea, Rafita; Lorenzo, Merino; Cruz, Dotor, Munoz; Chupe
How to watch Real Madrid vs Malaga?
In the UK, you can watch the Real Madrid vs. Málaga match live on Premier Sports 1.
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