Las Palmas v Malaga – La Liga
17 Sep 2016, Gran Canaria, 18:45 GMT +0
The home side is having a great start of the season, with 6 points out of 3 matches played. Valencia (2:4) and Granada (5:1) were both too weak for “Los Amarillos“, whereas Sevilla showed Las Palmas can be beaten (2:1) and even that result was highly controversial. Las Palmas was leading till 89′,when Sevilla got a penalty and scored another goal in the next minute (90′).
Last season, Las Palmas finished at 11th position, which was a decent result for a team who was recently promoted in 1st division league. That success was achieved solely due to their ability to win games at home. So there is no doubt Las Palmas is really dangerous at home, add their performance they showed this season, and you have got a strong team ahead of you. 10 goals so far and 6 points in 3 matches (which should be 9 due to bad luck against Sevilla) has put them in 4th position, even ahead of Barcelona. Making any conclusions from 3 opening matches played is silly to say the least, but one thing is for sure, they know how to play football.
Malaga is still searching for a win this season. Opening 3 matches have brought them only 2 points. They really have not performed up to par against any opponent thrown at them. If you cannot beat teams such as Osasuna (1:1), Espanyol (2:2), there is little to no hope of getting a top half of the table finish. There is no denying Malaga has experienced players who should perform better, but it seems they have not found their rhythm yet.
VERDICT
Las Palmas is in a good form and it seems they have found their rhythm and have shown us they can perform even against top teams in this league. In the next match I believe they have got a upper-hand over Malaga, who is clearly struggling. Add that together and add Las Palmas strong home record and you got your favourite to win this one.
Prediction: Las Palmas -0.25
Odds: 1.93 Pinnacle
