Matchday 2 of La Liga brings two newly promoted sides together at Estadio La Rosaleda on 24 August 2026. Malaga CF and Deportivo de A Coruña both came up from the 2025/26 Segunda Division, with Deportivo finishing second and Malaga fourth and they arrive in contrasting moods. Malaga were beaten 2-0 at home by Atletico Madrid on the opening weekend while Deportivo claimed a 1-1 draw away at Elche and with neither Funes nor Hidalgo having managed against each other before, both sides come into this with little more than footage and data to work from. For both clubs this match carries more weight than a mid table fixture normally would this early. A first win sets a tone, losing to a fellow promoted side in the first fortnight does the opposite.
Malaga's opening night at La Rosaleda was defensively disciplined but ultimately barren, holding Atletico reasonably well until late before conceding twice without really threatening themselves. The defeat did little to dispel the uncertainty their pre season had already raised about their attacking patterns. Deportivo's 1-1 at Elche told a different story: Aubameyang scored, Hidalgo's side sat deep, won the ball back on the counter and made it count, which is broadly what their pre season had suggested they would do.
Funes, who took over in November 2025 following Sergio Pellicer's departure, has four absences to manage. Fernando Calero (rib), Diego Murillo (knee), Adrian Nino (calf and thigh) and Aaron Ochoa (knee, meniscus, suspension) are all out, leaving Funes short of cover across the backline and in attack.
Hidalgo, in charge since July 2025, faces his own disruptions. Yeremay Hernandez is a doubt with groin and pubalgia issues, while Noe Carrillo (ankle) and David Mella (knee and LCL) are both ruled out. Hernandez, Carrillo and Mella are the players who give Deportivo their width and direct running and without them Aubameyang has no one to pull a defender wide and open a channel in behind. He will need to drop deeper to receive, hold up play and carry the ball further than he usually would, while Lorenzo Amatucci and Leo Roman will have to screen Malaga's press and recycle possession under pressure to keep Deportivo's structure intact.
Malaga are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1, pressing aggressively and using Larrubia in the half spaces as their main creative outlet. Carlos Dotor's return from loan brings press resistance and passing range to central midfield and combined with Larrubia behind Chupe, who holds the ball well, that gives Funes a front three capable of combining quickly between the lines. The plan is straightforward enough: win the ball high, get it to Larrubia quickly and create overloads on Deportivo's right.
Deportivo's 4-2-3-1 is set up to do the opposite, sitting compact, protecting the back four through two holding midfielders and launching Aubameyang on the counter when the opportunity comes. Hidalgo has less width to work with without Hernandez, Carrillo and Mella, so the shape may shift toward an even more compact midfield block.
Whether Dotor can press Amatucci off the ball and disrupt Deportivo's build up before it starts will largely determine whether Malaga can break the game open in the first half. If he manages it and releases Larrubia early enough, Malaga can drag Deportivo's block wide and create the central space Larrubia looks to arrive into late. Should Amatucci track Larrubia into the half space rather than holding his position, Deportivo's counters through Aubameyang may punish Malaga when they push too high.
Malaga lead the head to head across 28 previous meetings with nine wins to Deportivo's eight and 11 draws, a record that reflects how closely matched these clubs have historically been rather than any sustained dominance by either side.
Malaga 2-1 Deportivo. Deportivo's absentees thin out their attack enough that Malaga's press should find more space than it did against Atletico and that matters most in the second half when legs tire. Aubameyang will score, he almost always does but with Hernandez, Mella and Carrillo all out, he has no one to pull a defender wide and open a channel in behind and one goal probably will not be enough.
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?.
