- Deportivo Alavés sit 7th in LaLiga 2026-2027, having taken 11 points from their first 8 matches.
- Málaga CF are 20th on 4 points from 8 games and are struggling on the road.
Alaves have Malaga's number at Estadio Mendizorroza
Friday's LaLiga 2026-2027 clash between Deportivo Alaves and Malaga CF looks like a match between a solid side and a solid but slightly miscast one, and this Deportivo Alaves vs Malaga CF preview points to a tight contest. Quique Sánchez Flores has the Babazorros set up in a compact 5-3-2 formation, which is based on a deep block, well-organised pressing and quick vertical breaks to hurt the opponents.
This week's games haven't exactly sharpened Alaves' blade with a 0-0 draw away to Athletic Bilbao followed by a 1-2 home defeat to Atletico Madrid. But the Babazorros can still edge what should be a close game on Friday night, and our Deportivo Alaves vs Malaga CF prediction is that Lucas Boyé, their top goalscorer in the league with four in six games, can get into the box more frequently as he has for four of the team's last seven goals.
Juan Funes' Malaga are a different animal to Alaves as the visitors play much wider and more aggressively with their full backs, flank overloads and high press. They will try to stretch Alaves in the wide areas and create opportunities in the transition, which could be exciting if it works, but it hasn't really worked yet for Malaga with no wins, three draws and two defeats in their last five games in all competitions.
Alaves to edge a close contest
Málaga are on a rotten run of 0-3-2 in their last five matches across all competitions, but look particularly poor on the road with 0-1-3 in four trips, scoring 0.25 goals per game and conceding at a rate of 2.00 per game. Therefore, Alavés should come out on top in this game if their recent trend continues.
Babazorros are 1.87 favourites with Málaga 4.1 and the draw 3.45, which is about right for this clash of styles, although it is worth noting that Málaga have not won their last away game at Alavés, so the Babazorros have had their number on this ground, making Deportivo Alaves vs Malaga CF betting tips lean towards the home side.
Alavés' home record is 3-2-0 in five league games this season and they score at a healthy 2.00 per match rate. But the home side should be careful not to take too many risks here with the under 2.5 goals line at 1.7 a tempting bet and both teams not to score at 1.83 also leaning towards Alavés' control.
Adrián Niño has been the brightest star for Málaga in this campaign, scoring once in three league games and two of their last three goals across the last five. Málaga have drawn 1-1 with Espanyol in a recent home game and lost 0-1 away to Getafe, so the pressure remains on Juan Funes' side.
The head-to-head is 1-1 in the last two meetings, but Alavés won 2-1 at home in their only LaLiga 2 2022/2023 encounter, which supports this Deportivo Alaves vs Malaga CF prediction.
