Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo. (Photo : Getty Images)
Contending club Villarreal CF (9-4-8, 35 points) is scheduled to square off with lowly team Malaga CF (5-9-7, 22 points) at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Sunday, Feb. 12 as the 2016-2017 La Liga season continues.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 6:00 a.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Villarreal has been mercurial in the past six rounds with two wins, three draws, and one loss. The team was able to maintain their sixth spot in the league standings, though, as they continue to hold the final Europa League qualifying berth for next season.
The Yellow Submarine is now four points behind fifth-place team Atletico Madrid and six points below the final Champions League spot for next term currently held by fourth-running squad Real Sociedad.
In their most recent La Liga fixture last Sunday, Villarreal was able to hold title contenders Sevilla FC to a 0-0 draw on the road at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, as per BBC Sport.
It was the third shut out game for head coach Fran Escribá's squad in their last four matches as the team has only had two goals in the said time span.
Meanwhile, Malaga has been on a downward spiral at the moment, being winless in their last eight games to drop to the 14th spot of the 20-team Spanish top flight table. They are now nine points above the bottom three relegation zone but a long 13 points below Villarreal.
Los Boquerones were nipped by middling team Espanyol, 0-1, at their own home ground of La Rosaleda Stadium last Saturday, via Sofa Score.
Argentine midfielder Pablo Piatti netted the lone goal of the match for the visitors with a long-range left-footed shot in the 17th minute off an assist by midfielder Jose Antonio Reyes.
It was the fifth loss in the last five rounds for head coach Marcelo Romero's squad and it looks like they are again the underdogs in this game versus Villarreal.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a close 1-0 victory for Villarreal.
Villarreal starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Asenjo; Mario, Bonera, Ruiz, Jose Angel; Hernandez, Bruno; Castillejo, Trigueros, dos Santos; Lopez
Malaga starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Kameni; Rosales, Hernandez, Demichelis, Juan Carlos; Camacho, Fornals; Ontiveros, Juanpi, Castro; Santos
