Malaga vs Granada predictions and match preview for Thursday’s Segunda División fixture. Read on for analysis ahead of this derby clash in Andalusia.
| Date | Thursday 8th December 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | La Rosaleda |
| Competition | LaLiga SmartBank |
Malaga vs Granada Preview
The Derby of eastern Andalusia takes place this Thursday in the Segunda Division as old foes Malaga and Granada renew their hostilities. It’s the first league meeting since 2019, although the sides did meet on this ground in the Copa del Rey in 2021.
Granada have won all of the last 3 competitive meetings by a single goal and they will start as favourites again here. That’s largely because of the very poor season that Malaga are having. They currently sit in the relegation zone with just 14 points from 18 games and face an uphill battle to hold onto their second tier status this season.
They are currently in the same position they were when Pepe Mel took over in September but there have been some tentative signs of progress in recent games. They won their last home game 1-0 against Ponferradina and have only lost 1 of their last 4 games overall, a 1-0 defeat at promotion hopefuls Levante. Defensively things have finally tightened up and that will raise hopes of them getting a result here.
Granada have also changed their coach since the start of the season with Paco Lopez replacing Aitor Karanka. It has been a pretty good start for the former Levante boss with 6 points from 3 games. However, somewhat in keeping with their season to date, Granada have comfortably won both home games under the new man, but were beaten in their last road game at Leganes.
That result left Granada with an away record of just 5 points from 9 games, an abysmal return for a team tipped to make a strong automatic promotion challenge after relegation from the top flight. Only two teams have picked up fewer away points in the Segunda Division this season but from their perspective, there would be no better place to start turning their away day blues around than here.
Score Prediction: Malaga 1-2 Granada
Granada have been very poor away this season while Malaga have just been very poor, so this is an unpredictable game and it’ll be interesting to see who rises to the occasion. Overall, Granada look the more likely victors. They’ve a good squad for this level and getting Paco Lopez in feels like a coup for them and the early signs have been quite positive under his leadership.
PLEASE NOTE – Our Segunda División predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
