Malaga v Real Madrid
15:00
Real Madrid won their game in hand at Celta Vigo and as a result simply need to avoid defeat here to lift their first La Liga title since 2011/12. However, they come up against a Malaga side in impressive form as they made it four wins in five unbeaten games with their 2-2 draw at Sociedad and it was only a late equaliser for the hosts that denied them all three points there.
Key to the turnaround in Malaga’s fortunes has been the appointment of Michel, who inherited a side down in 15th and that had managed just one win in 13. Whilst it took him a few games to find his feet, Malaga have since won six of their last eight, including at home to Barcelona and Sevilla. Indeed, they’ve netted 11 goals in their last four at La Rosaleda, keeping three clean sheets in that time. As a result, they certainly won’t be pushovers here, as they weren’t last term when they managed a draw in this fixture to go with a win over Atletico, while they were edged out 2-1 by Barca.
Real have won their last eight on their travels, though their only clean sheet in their last 12 away came at bottom of the league Granada. Since Malaga have conceded more than twice in only one of their 37 home games since the start of last season, this should be much tighter than odds of 1.25 about Los Blancos suggest. We’re going to side with Malaga +2 on the handicap as we expect Real to have to work hard if they’re to secure the title.
Recommendation: Malaga +2 Handicap at 2.3
Betting intelligence provided by Football Form Labs
