Atletico Madrid name lineups for LaLiga Matchday 1 home game against Malaga
Atletico Madrid will host Malaga at the Estadio Metropolitano on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in a Matchday 1 fixture of the LaLiga 2026-27 season. Both clubs have confirmed their full starting XIs ahead of the season opener.
Atletico come into the match after finishing fourth in the domestic campaign and have made several summer signings described as additions to challenge for the league title. The club signed four first-team players in the transfer window, including Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Kang-In Lee and Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero, with Alejandro Grimaldo and Morten Hjulmand also joining. Diego Simeone has retained Julian Alvarez at the club, though Alvarez is not match-fit for this clash and played no part in Atletico’s pre-season; Atletico won two of their four pre-season friendlies. Malaga returned to LaLiga after a fourth-place finish in the second division that ended an eight-year absence and field a young squad featuring 21-year-old striker Chupe, but they are sizeable underdogs against the 11-time LaLiga champions.
Atleti’s starting XI is: Jan Oblak; Dani Martínez, Robin Le Normand, Jorge Domínguez, David Hancko, Arnau Ortiz, Koke, Rodrigo Mendoza, Pablo Barrios; Carlos Martin, Ademola Lookman. The substitutes named are: Juan Musso (gk), Jose Maria Gimenez, Johnny Cardoso, Lee Kang-in, Alex Baena, Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Guiliano Simeone, Alex Grimaldo, Morten Hjulmand, Miguel Cubo, Jorge Castillo. Our first starting XI of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/8QGQzyQVqT
Malaga’s starting XI is: Alfonso Herrero; Carlos Puga, Angel Recio, Einar Galilea, Garrido; Dani Lorenzo, Izan Merino, Carlos Dotor; David Larrubia, Chupe, Joaquin Munoz. The Andalusian club’s substitutes are: Carlos Lopez (gk), Alex Pastor, Ramon Enriquez, Haitam Abaida, Rafa Rodriguez, Eneko Jauregi, Jose Salinas, Juan Cruz, Julen Lobete, Joseph Otu, Juani. ◤ 𝗡𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢 𝗫𝗜 ◢ #AtletiMálaga pic.twitter.com/tRMnRzYpaL
The fixture will be played on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain. In India, the match will kick off at 12:30 AM IST on Thursday, August 20, 2026. The lineups and kick-off details have been published ahead of the scheduled start.
For additional coverage, Khel Now invites readers to follow its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels, download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App, or join its Telegram community. Sushruta, the match reporter, has spent over two years covering football with a focus on Indian and international competitions; he has also reported on a variety of other sports and, off the beat, says he can usually be found binge-watching movies or getting lost in a good book.
The showdown at the Estadio Metropolitano is a Matchday 1 fixture in LaLiga 2026-27 and therefore opens both clubs’ league campaigns for the new season.
