Celta Vigo vs Malaga - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams still searching for their first wins of the 2026-27 La Liga campaign will lock horns on Sunday afternoon, with Celta Vigo taking on Malaga.

Celta, who are 16th in the La Liga table, only have three points from their opening five league games of the season, while 18th-placed Malaga have collected two points from four games.

Celta finished sixth in Spain's top flight last season, securing qualification for the Europa League league phase, and their European journey for the 2026-27 campaign will begin next week with a contest against Omonia.

However, there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a disappointing start to the domestic season for the Sky Blues, who have just three points from five matches.

Claudio Giraldez's side opened their season with a goalless draw against Valencia before suffering back-to-back defeats to Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao.

Celta are unbeaten in September, though, drawing 0-0 with Real Sociedad and 1-1 with Getafe, and the hosts will now be looking for their first win of the season this weekend.

The Sky Blues have only won 10 of their previous 29 matches against Malaga, suffering 11 defeats in the process, but this will be their first La Liga clash in over eight years.

The points were shared in a goalless draw when the two teams last locked horns in March 2018, but two of the last three league meetings have actually been won by Malaga.

The visitors secured a return to Spain's top flight through last season's Segunda Division playoffs, and they are still waiting for their first win of the campaign.

Juan Francisco Funes' side have picked up just two points from their opening four league matches of the season, which has left them down in 18th spot in the table on two points.

The White and Sky Blues opened their season with a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid before playing out a 1-1 draw with Deportivo La Coruna in their second match on August 24.

Malaga then lost 4-0 to Real Madrid before drawing 0-0 with Levante last time out, and they have only scored once in the league this season, which is a concern.

Celta will again be without the services of Aleix Febas due to a rib injury, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape for their clash with Malaga.

Iago Aspas and Carl Starfelt are the only players to find the back of the net for Celta this season, and the pair are set to be among their starters in this contest.

There should also be a position through the middle for Pablo Duran.

Malaga, meanwhile, could be missing all of Julen Lobete, Adrian Nino, Fernando Calero, Moussa Diarra, Diego Murillo and Aaron Ochoa for this weekend's clash.

Chupe is the only player to score for Malaga this season, and the 22-year-old will be a certain starter in this weekend's contest.

There are unlikely to be any major surprises when it comes to the away side's XI for this match, with David Larrubia set to continue in the starting side.

Radu; Lago, Starfelt, Alonso; El Abdellaoui, Moriba, Roman, Galan; Aspas, Duran, Gonzalez

Herrero; Rafita, Recio, Galilea, Salinas; Dotor, Martinez, Lorenzo; Larrubia, Chupe, Cruz

Home advantage could be key on Sunday when Celta and Malaga lock horns; we are expecting a tight match, with the hosts potentially just about shading the contest.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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