Malaga vs Villarreal

Malaga have proved difficult to beat recently, remaining unbeaten in their last two outings with a goalless draw against Levante and a 1:1 stalemate away at Celta Vigo. Alfonso Herrero has been a central figure for the side, recording 19 saves over the matches we hold data for. Villarreal have struggled to find a result, suffering four consecutive losses including a 1:2 home defeat to Real Betis. Georges Mikautadze has contributed one goal and two assists over the five matches we track, while their goalkeeper Luiz Júnior has conceded eight goals across four appearances. Malaga have found the back of the net twice in the first half and twice in the second half across the matches we hold flow data for, while Villarreal have scored eight goals in total across their recent outings.

• Malaga are without A. Ochoa, D. Murillo, and J. Lobete, three of the four ruled out.
• Villarreal have Juan Foyth in doubt, while Malaga have F. Calero listed in doubt.
• Villarreal have recorded 15 shots per match compared to 11 for Malaga over the matches we track.
• Villarreal have clearly more of the ball, while Malaga have been about even on the ball over the matches we track.

Villarreal look better placed to test the Malaga defence given their higher shot volume and expected goals total of 8 over the listed matches. While Malaga have shown resilience with draws, Villarreal possess more attacking depth through players like Georges Mikautadze, who has tallied 1 goal and 2 assists over the listed matches. The best-rated player for Malaga, Alfonso Herrero, will be tested, as will Villarreal's best-rated player, Juan Foyth, who remains in doubt for this encounter.

Head-to-head records are not available for this fixture, leaving us with no history to analyze between the two sides.