The Malaguistas, in 19th place with 43 points, face this rival in 3rd place with 67 points. Sergio Pellicer’s team need to win and Real Sporting de Gijón must lose on this matchday in order to maintain mathematical options of staying in the division in the last league game.
#AlavésMálaga is being officiated by Daniel Jesús Trujillo Suárez. The 40-year-old ref from Tenerife is in his 12th season in the Second Division. His stats in the silver category are 210 matches ending in 93 local victories, 65 draws and 52 visitor wins. This 22/23 season he has officiated MCF on three occasions, ending in a win (1-0 at La Rosaleda against Alavés) and two defeats for the Malaguistas (1-0 in Burgos and 3-2 in Albacete). Heading up the VAR is Víctor Areces Franco from Asturias.
Players in common Deportivo Alavés-Málaga CF
Lasheras, Méndez, Cañizares, Juanma, Juanito, Alexis Ruano, Iñaki Goitia, Carpintero, Adrián López, Toribio, Javi Guerra, Lacen, Jony, Borja Bastón, Diego Rolan, Dani Pacheco, Paulino, Roberto, Ismael Gutiérrez and Abqar
Coaches in common Deportivo Alavés-Málaga CF
Juan Ramón Muñiz, Natxo González and Pepe Mel
(*) Javi Calleja, former Deportivo Alavés coach, was a Málaga CF player (2006-09)
Players in common Deportivo Alavés-CD Málaga
Manuel Olivares, Arana, Juan Arza, Ubis, Félix Sáenz, Requejo and Urdaci
Coaches in common Deportivo Alavés-CD Málaga
Urquiri, Echezarreta, Ben Barek and Luis Costa
(*) José María Zárraga, CD Málaga coach and subsequent technical secretary in the 1960s, years later held the same position as secretary with the Vitoria team. Juan Ramón, CD Málaga coach in the 1969/70 season, was a player for Alavés in the 1930s
(**) One of the first coaches in Malagueño football, Walter Harris (Mister Harris), coached both Real Málaga FC and Deportivo Alavés
(***) José Baonza, Deportivo Alavés coach in the First Division in the 1930/31 season, was also FC Malagueño coach
Players who debuted with Málaga CF against Deportivo Alavés at Mendizorroza
- Alberto Luque (Deportivo Alavés 2-1 Málaga CF, 29/08/1999)
- Roberto Peragón (Deportivo Alavés 0-1 Málaga CF, 02/09/2007)
- Mikel Villanueva (Deportivo Alavés 1-1 Málaga CF, 16/10/2016)
- Ignasi Miquel (Deportivo Alavés 1-0 Málaga, 21/12/2017)
Match info
- Luis Muñoz, after playing last week against CD Mirandés, reached 100 official matches with Málaga CF. His stats include five First Division matches, 92 in the Second Division and three in the Copa del Rey.
- Rubén Yáñez has kept a clean sheet in four out of the last five games in the league competition.
- Esteban Burgos, Javi Jiménez and Loren Zúñiga are the Malaguistas on the verge of suspension on a cycle of four yellow cards.
- Rubén Castro, with 10 goals, is the top Blue and White goal scorer. Luis Rioja, the rival’s highest scorer with 10 goals, will miss this game due to suspension.
- Away from home in the league, Málaga CF have accumulated three victories, five draws and 12 defeats (14 points), scoring 16 goals and conceding 25.
- At home in LaLiga SmartBank this season, Alavés have secured 12 wins, seven draws and just one defeat (43 points), scoring 26 goals and conceding 10. After Granada CF, they are the second-best team at home in the competition.
Stats and facts
- In the Second Division, Málaga CF have visited Vitoria twice, winning on both occasions by the same result: 0-1. In 06/07 with a goal from Perico and in 07/08 with a goal by Peragón.
- Málaga CF have played at Mendizorroza in the First Division seven times, with a balance of two wins, one draw and four defeats, scoring seven goals and conceding nine. The last precedent at Mendizorroza was in 17/18 (1-0, Munir).
- Mendizorroza was the first stadium where Málaga CF played away from home in the First Division. It was on matchday 2 of the 99/00 season, with the match ending in a 2-1 win for the locals thanks to a brace from Julio Salinas. Catanha scored the Malaguista goal.
- CD Málaga faced Deportivo Alavés seven times in Vitoria. Once in the elite (54/55), another time in the Copa del Rey (62/63) and five times in the Second Division. The only positive result was a 1-1 draw in the 80/81 season in the silver division, with Ben Barek in the Malaguista dugout.
- In the past seven seasons Málaga CF have played in the silver division, on matchday 41, the Blue and Whites obtained three victories, two draws and two defeats.