Atlético de Madrid and Málaga CF face each other this Wednesday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano for round one of the La Liga. Atlético de Madrid mark their 90th participation in the competition, whilst Málaga CF go into their 38th.
In their last fixture, Atlético de Madrid won 1-2 against Marseille (Pre-season 2026/27). In their last game, Málaga CF drew 2-2 with Fulham (Pre-season 2026/27).
The last meeting between the two teams ended with Atlético de Madrid winning 1-0.
Atlético de Madrid ( vs Villarreal CF 2026-05-24): Juan Musso, Marcos Llorente, Clément Lenglet, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Álex Baena, Obed Vargas, Koke, Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman
Málaga CF ( vs Almería 2026-06-20): Alfonso Herrero, Carlos Puga, Diego Murillo, Javi Montero, Rafael Garrido, Carlos Dotor, Izan Merino, Davi Larrubia, Dani Lorenzo, Joaquín Muñoz, Chupe
Chupe
Did you know…by playmaker stats
MANAGERS
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Diego Simeone has faced Málaga CF on 14 occasions, recording nine wins, four draws and one defeat
HEAD TO HEAD
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Atlético de Madrid and Málaga CF have already faced each other 74 times, with Atlético de Madrid holding the advantage: 42 wins, compared with 13 for Málaga CF.
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At the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Atlético de Madrid hold the advantage in their meetings with Málaga CF: 28 wins in 37 games. Málaga CF have three victories.
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In the Spanish league, the two teams have played 70 matches, with Atlético de Madrid winning 39, drawing 19 and Málaga CF winning 12.
How will Atlético Madrid line up against Málaga to open LaLiga 2026/27?
Eighty-six days removed from a disappointing end to their 2025/26 LaLiga season, Atlético de Madrid are back in action Wednesday night against newly-promoted Málaga.
Atlético have made several new additions to the team, and Diego Simeone’s men will hope to do away with the inconsistencies and bad habits that undermined their 2025/26 LaLiga campaign. That includes stabilizing the away form and improving the defensive line. Morten Hjulmand and Cristian Romero were brought in to bolster the midfield and defense, Alejandro Grimaldo arrived to provide much needed support at left wing-back and Kang-In Lee arrived as an Antoine Griezmann “replacement.”
Off the pitch, several key players were delayed in rejoining the squad because of FIFA World Cup duties, while the ongoing Julián Alvarez transfer saga dominated much of the summer conversation.
As such, Atlético’s preseason produced mixed results. The Rojiblancos suffered defeats to Manchester United and Manchester City in Sweden and South Korea respectively, but they secured an impressive 4-1 victory over Getafe behind closed doors before wrapping up the summer with a 2-1 win over Marseille in France.
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