Leicester City Spain pre‑season friendlies

Leicester City began its 2026 pre‑season tour in Spain with a 1‑0 victory over Segunda División side Cádiz on 22 July, a second‑half header from Kirsten Otchere securing the win as the squad rotated heavily and gave debut minutes to Conor Chaplin.

Three days later the team travelled to Marbella for a high‑intensity friendly against newly promoted La Liga side Málaga CF. After taking a 2‑0 lead through Louis Page’s corner and a second goal before halftime, Leicester saw the hosts rally: Chupe equalised, Aaron Ochoa gave Málaga the lead and Carlos Dotor headed a stoppage‑time winner in the 93rd minute to force a 3‑3 draw. Late goals from Woyo Coulibaly (80') and Tommy Neale (88') restored parity for Leicester.

The match marked Málaga’s first pre‑season test after promotion, while Leicester used the fixture to sharpen for a Championship promotion push. Málaga coach Juanfran Funes made tactical tweaks, notably deploying former Real Sociedad winger Lobete at right‑back after halftime, and gave debut minutes to new signings such as Juan Cruz alongside several academy graduates. Both coaches used the game to test tactics, fitness and integrate recent arrivals.