Malaga vs Eibar Betting Tips

Having been handed a relegation reprieve by cash-strapped Elche last term, Eibar have so far taken full advantage of their second chance at this level. They did of course start last season brightly but having taken just 8 points from their 19 games in the second half of the season almost everyone assumed they would struggle badly this year.

However a 3-1 win at Granada on the opening day and a Basque derby win over Athletic Bilbao has breathed a fresh sense of optimism over the tiny Basque town. They are 2nd in La Liga coming into this game and will approach it with confidence given they were actually pretty strong on the road last season considering they finished 18th, with 4 wins coming away from home.

Their meetings with Malaga were both close with each side winning once by a single goal and it could be another tight affair here given the cautious nature with which Malaga have started.

Their win over Eibar at La Rosaleda last term co-incided with a 5 match winning streak but like Eibar, they faded badly in the second half of the season. They lost star striker Juanmi to Southampton over the summer and haven’t looked dangerous in the opening two weeks although they’ve had tough games against Sevilla and Barcelona.

They should be a bit more attacking here against Eibar but there isn’t the same sort of optimism they had in the early days last season. The visitors are playing like a side revived and under absolutely no pressure. That particular bubble may burst eventually as it did last season but it could really work to their advantage here against a Malaga side whose crowd will be expecting them to dominate the game.

Therefore a confident Eibar side are good value to secure at least a point here at 11/10. Both sides are likely to be fairly positive so there should be goals but given the way this league has started don’t expect an enormous number. This is Eibar’s toughest task yet and they may struggle to take all the points but a 1-1 draw is within their grasp and can be backed at 11/2.