With LaLiga on hold due to the international break, the attention of Spanish football fans shifts to Matchday 4 of LaLiga 2. One of the highlights is the fiery Andalusian derby between Malaga and Granada, both looking for crucial points to chase their seasonal goals. The home side remains unbeaten, having collected two wins and one draw so far: with 7 points they are part of the group of teams right behind Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon, who both lead with a perfect record. Sergio Pellicer’s men have only one mission in this derby: to secure their third consecutive league win after victories against Real Sociedad B and Las Palmas, staying in touch with the top two and beginning to pull away from direct rivals. A mission well within the reach of the Boquerones, as they welcome to La Rosaleda a Granada side in deep trouble, still stuck at zero points. Despite the 2-1 defeat against Mirandes in the last round, Granada showed slight improvement, conceding the decisive goal only in the final minutes after equalizing while down to ten men. Still, they must find a win quickly to turn around a season that started with much higher expectations, especially after finishing seventh last year, narrowly missing out on the promotion playoffs.

Malaga's recent form and key stats

After three rounds, Malaga sits in seventh place with 7 points, thanks to two wins and one draw. The Andalusian side’s main strength is proving to be their defense, breached only once so far and keeping clean sheets in their last two games. The attack has scored exactly one goal per match, with 2003-born Rafa Rodriguez netting the decisive winners against Real Sociedad B and Las Palmas.

Alongside their solid form, Pellicer’s men boast a strong home record: unbeaten in their last six LaLiga 2 matches at La Rosaleda, with four wins and two draws. Interestingly, three of those four victories came by a 1-0 scoreline, including the one on August 24 against Real Sociedad B.

Granada's recent form and key stats

Granada arrives on the back of three consecutive defeats, having lost all of their opening league matches against Deportivo La Coruna, Eibar, and Mirandes. Pacheta’s side has conceded an average of 2.67 goals per game while scoring just 0.67. Numbers that must change quickly, ideally starting from this Andalusian derby, if they want to climb back up the table.

Another major concern is Granada’s away form, with two straight losses on the road. Looking further back, their last ten away matches show a worrying record of 6 defeats, 3 wins, and 1 draw. In their only away game of the 2025/26 season so far, they were soundly beaten 3-0 by Eibar.

Malaga vs Granada prediction and tactical outlook

According to BetMines, the prediction leans toward a clear home win (45% probability), but the feeling is that it will be a low-scoring match, as both teams have struggled offensively so far.

Malaga has scored only three goals in total and all of their matches have gone Under 2.5 goals, backed by their rock-solid defense. Granada, meanwhile, failed to score away at Eibar and also drew a blank in their last visit to Malaga in May (1-0 for the hosts).

Given the high stakes and the intensity of this derby, it’s likely to be more of a hard-fought battle than a free-flowing spectacle. For these reasons, the Malaga vs Granada prediction from betMines points toward fewer than three total goals, as has been the case in six of their last seven head-to-head meetings.

• Malaga vs Granada prediction by BetMines: Under 2.5 goals with 60% probability
  
  
• Malaga vs Granada prediction by BetMines: Over 2.5 goals with 40% probability

Malaga vs Granada predicted lineups

MALAGA (4-4-2): Herrero; Puga, Murillo, Montero, Garcia; D. Larrubia, Juanpe, Merino, Munoz; Rodriguez, Chupe. Coach: Sergio Pellicer

GRANADA (4-2-3-1): Luca; Casadesus, Williams, Manu Lama, D. Hormigo; Ruiz, Aleman; P. Saenz, Arnaiz, Faye; M. Bouldini. Coach: Pacheta