Málaga vs RC Deportivo: La Rosaleda Hosts a Meeting of Two Newly Promoted Sides

The first home night of Málaga’s return to the top flight carries a different weight from an ordinary second-round fixture, because La Rosaleda is finally getting its first taste of Primera División football after eight years away.
Málaga arrive looking for their first points after a 2-0 defeat at Atlético Madrid on the opening weekend.
RC Deportivo, meanwhile, opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Elche and now face their first away assignment since returning to the elite.
Both clubs followed remarkably similar paths back to LaLiga, moving from the lower levels toward promotion and then reaching the top flight in the same summer.
The official Málaga preview describes this as the club’s first home game of the 2026/27 campaign, while Deportivo coach Antonio Hidalgo has promised that his side will approach the match with maximum commitment.
The fixture is scheduled for Monday, 24 August, with kick-off at 21:30 at La Rosaleda.

Málaga’s main objective will be to reproduce the aggressive and confident football that helped them win promotion rather than allowing the defeat in Madrid to change their identity.
Juanfran Funes has retained the core of the promotion-winning group, and the club’s official season review highlights the importance of the academy players who formed the backbone of last season’s successful side.
The Málaga side also strengthened with José Salinas, Carlos Dotor, Juan Cruz, Fernando Calero and Pablo Martínez, who joined from Levante this week and could make his debut.
Deportivo have been equally deliberate in their preparation, dedicating Saturday’s training session specifically to set-piece situations before travelling south.
Antonio Hidalgo also confirmed that Yeremay Hernández has trained normally and is expected to be available after continuing his recovery from pubalgia.
The visitors therefore arrive with a squad that has already shown an ability to compete, but their capacity to handle Málaga’s pressure at La Rosaleda will be one of the evening’s central tests.

The tactical picture becomes particularly interesting around the wide areas, where Málaga can use David Larrubia and Joaquín to stretch Deportivo’s defensive shape.
The projected Málaga XI retains Alfonso Herrero behind Carlos Puga, Ángel Recio, Einar Galilea and Rafita, with Izan Merino, Carlos Dotor and Dani Lorenzo providing the midfield platform.
Deportivo are expected to maintain the 4-2-3-1 structure that produced their opening-day draw, with Lorenzo Amatucci and Mario Soriano offering control behind an attacking trio supporting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
There is also a genuine selection question surrounding David Mella and Diego Villares, who trained separately before the final session and remained doubts for the trip.
That uncertainty could affect the balance of Hidalgo’s midfield and attacking structure, while Yeremay’s possible return gives the coach another creative option.
Neither team needs to overreact to the opening result, but both have an opportunity to establish momentum before the season settles into a longer rhythm.

The pre-match conversation has also been shaped by the unusual shared history of the two clubs, who have travelled almost parallel routes from the third tier back to Spain’s highest division.
Deportivo’s official preview stresses the physical difference between their rainy final training session in Galicia and the expected sunny conditions in Málaga, with temperatures above 25 degrees.
Hidalgo has insisted that Deportivo will “go all out” for their first away match, while his staff have worked specifically on set pieces and tactical details during the build-up.
Málaga, for their part, have the emotional advantage of playing in front of a home crowd that helped make La Rosaleda one of their strongest assets during last season’s promotion campaign.
The first competitive meeting between these sides in the new Primera era therefore offers two distinct ambitions: Málaga want to make their return home memorable, while Deportivo want to demonstrate that their opening draw was the beginning of something rather than a one-off result.
With neither side yet possessing a league victory, the importance of the first breakthrough may be greater than the table suggests at this very early stage.

🩺 Official Injury & Availability Report

Málaga CF — Confirmed Injury Status
Questionable	Dani Lorenzo	Experienced discomfort against Atlético Madrid but trained normally during the week and is expected to be available.
Out / Ruled Out	Aarón Ochoa	Injured and unavailable for the match.
Out / Ruled Out	Adrián Niño	Injured and unavailable for the match.
Out / Ruled Out	Fernando Calero	Injured and unavailable for the match.
Out / Ruled Out	Moussa Diarra	Injured and unavailable for the match.
Out / Ruled Out	Diego Murillo	Injured and unavailable for the match.

RC Deportivo — Confirmed Injury Status
Out / Ruled Out	Noé Carrillo	The only player identified as injured and unavailable for Deportivo.
Questionable	David Mella	Worked separately under the club’s load-management plan and remained a selection doubt before the final session.
Questionable	Diego Villares	Worked separately under the club’s load-management plan and remained a selection doubt before the final session.

The latest available team-news report identifies five Málaga players as injured: Aarón Ochoa, Adrián Niño, Fernando Calero, Moussa Diarra and Diego Murillo, while Dani Lorenzo trained normally after his earlier discomfort. For Deportivo, Noé Carrillo is the only player reported as injured, while David Mella and Diego Villares were doubts after working separately under the club’s load-management plan. Antonio Hidalgo subsequently said Yeremay Hernández had trained normally and believed the attacker would be available.

📋 Probable Matchday Sides & Key Personnel

The clubs had not published their official starting XIs when this preview was prepared, so the following are probable lineups, not confirmed starting elevens. They are based on the latest team-news reporting and should not be treated as official selections. The distinction is especially important for Deportivo because Mella and Villares remained doubts, while Yeremay was only returning to contention.

Málaga CF — Probable XI & Key Personnel
Position	Player	Matchday Context
Goalkeeper	Alfonso Herrero	Expected to retain his starting position after returning to full training late in the week.
Defender	Carlos Puga	Projected right-back in the expected XI.
Defender	Einar Galilea	Expected to continue in central defence.
Midfielder	Carlos Dotor	Expected to operate in the midfield three.
Forward	Chupe	One of Málaga’s principal attacking references after a prolific promotion season.
Forward	David Larrubia	Projected on the attacking flank after being one of Málaga’s standout creators last season.
Head Coach	Juanfran Funes	Continues as the coach who guided Málaga to promotion in 2025/26.

RC Deportivo — Probable XI & Key Personnel
Position	Player	Matchday Context
Goalkeeper	Leo Román	Projected to continue in goal after starting against Elche.
Defender	Ximo Navarro	Expected to anchor the defensive line.
Defender	Lucas Noubi	Projected to continue at centre-back.
Midfielder	Lorenzo Amatucci	Expected to provide the midfield base alongside Mario Soriano.
Midfielder	Mario Soriano	Expected to retain his midfield role after starting against Elche.
Forward	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Scored Deportivo’s first LaLiga goal of the season against Elche.
Forward	Bil Nsongo	Projected to start in the attacking line.
Head Coach	Antonio Hidalgo	Leads Deportivo into their first away match after promotion to LaLiga.

What the Clubs Are Saying Before Kick-Off

• Antonio Hidalgo wants a full commitment: the Deportivo coach says his team will “go all out” in Málaga and leave everything on the pitch.
• Yeremay is close to returning: Hidalgo confirmed that the winger trained normally and believes he will be available.
• Set pieces have been a major focus: Deportivo dedicated Saturday’s tactical session to rehearsing different dead-ball situations.
• Málaga have kept their core: the club’s promotion-winning structure remains largely intact despite the move into the top flight.
• Pablo Martínez could debut: Málaga’s latest signing arrived from Levante during the week and is available for consideration.

Where the Match Could Be Decided

Málaga’s biggest weapon should be the familiarity of a group that already understands Funes’ football, especially when the ball reaches Larrubia, Joaquín or Chupe in advanced areas.
Deportivo will need to avoid allowing those players to receive facing forward, because the home side can quickly turn wide possession into penalty-area pressure.
At the other end, Aubameyang gives Deportivo an obvious focal point and already opened his league account against Elche, while Amatucci and Soriano can help the visitors establish longer spells of possession.
The possible return of Yeremay adds another layer because his ability to carry the ball can change the tempo of Deportivo’s attacks even if he does not start.
Set pieces may also carry unusual importance given Deportivo’s specific preparation work on dead-ball situations during the weekend.
The contest should therefore hinge less on which side has the bigger name and more on which newly promoted team can impose its familiar habits under the pressure of a first top-flight season.

Match Details

Málaga CF vs RC Deportivo
Competition	LALIGA EA SPORTS	Matchday 2
Date	Monday, 24 August 2026	21:30 CEST
Venue	La Rosaleda	Málaga, Spain
Referee	Javier Alberola Rojas	VAR: Daniel Jesús Trujillo Suárez

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