Getafe host Malaga at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on 20 September 2026 in Matchweek 7 of La Liga, with both clubs near the foot of the table and an early season relegation fight already feeling uncomfortably real. Getafe sit 16th on five points from six matches, Malaga are stranded 19th on just three, newly promoted and still without a win in the top flight. A result here would ease the pressure considerably on either side, though defeat would only intensify scrutiny on squads already short of confidence. Getafe carry the added distraction of Conference League commitments, whereas Malaga arrive simply desperate for anything.
There is no head to head record between the two managers, José Bordalás and Juan Francisco Funes, in competitive fixtures, so whatever edge exists belongs to squads rather than dugouts. Getafe's last six league results read L W L D D L, their most recent a narrow 0-1 home defeat to Real Betis on 17 September 2026 that exposed familiar problems converting chances despite their compact defensive shape. Malaga's sequence runs L D L D D L, capped by a 1-3 home loss to Villarreal. Neither side has managed to string results together, though Getafe's home record at least gives them something Malaga don't.
Bordalás, who replaced Quique Sánchez Flores in April 2023, is without a significant portion of his squad: Mario Martín is suspended after his red card against Betis and Abdel Abqar, Juanmi, Kiko Femenía, Borja Mayoral and Christantus Uche are all injured, thinning the options considerably in midfield and attack. That forces Enes Ünal and Martín Satriano into the forward line, with Dakonam Djene anchoring the defence, Nemanja Gudelj controlling midfield and David Soria in goal. Funes, in charge since November 2025 after replacing Sergio Pellicer, has it worse still: Julen Lobete, Fernando Calero, Moussa Diarra, Diego Murillo, Aarón Ochoa, Adam Aznou and Jens Cajuste are all unavailable, stripping Malaga of defensive depth and leaving Chupete, Carlos Dotor and David Larrubia to carry most of the creative responsibility, with Alfonso Herrero in goal.
Bordalás's 4-4-2 relies on compactness, physical duels and set piece threat and the plan against Malaga will be to squeeze the central corridors, force sideways play and spring forward through Ünal's movement between the lines. Satriano's ability to drop deep or stretch the backline creates headaches for Malaga's centre backs, who are already depleted by injury, while Gudelj's role breaking up transitions and distributing to the wide men is what keeps the low block functioning before any counter gets going. The match up between Chupete and Djene is the one that matters most: if the forward finds pockets of space Malaga can threaten on the break but if Djene wins his duels Getafe will keep Malaga pinned in their own half and set pieces become their primary threat. Dotor against Gudelj offers another interesting contest in midfield, while Larrubia has to link play without most of his usual supporting cast.
The injury lists reshape both sides in obvious ways but Getafe's damage is more manageable. They lose a holding midfielder and several attacking options yet retain enough defensive structure to be themselves, whereas Malaga's absentees remove experienced cover at the back and in wide areas, leaving them particularly exposed to the set piece routines and second ball situations that Getafe have made their calling card under Bordalás. Malaga hold a slight historical edge across roughly 28 meetings, around 14 wins to Getafe's 11 but Getafe have won three of the last four encounters, which is the more relevant number here.
Malaga's depleted defensive roster makes Getafe's set piece delivery the most obvious route to goal and Malaga will need sharp, disciplined marking from corners and free kicks or they will gift goals away. The Conference League schedule adds fixture congestion for the hosts, though they have enough familiar structure to absorb it. When Getafe score, expect hurried decisions rather than composed responses from a Malaga side carrying very little defensive experience.
Getafe 2-1 Malaga. Getafe should spend large portions of the match in their own half, inviting pressure and looking to punish Malaga at set pieces and on the counter, with Ünal or Satriano most likely to find the net. Chupete's pace off the bench could cause problems if Getafe sit too deep protecting a lead but the injury list and Getafe's home organisation point firmly to a narrow win that moves the hosts a few points clear of the bottom three while leaving Malaga without a win from seven attempts and deeper in trouble at the bottom.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
