Marcelo Romero will debut as Málaga CF coach in Vigo. The match against Celta will be his first as Blue and Whites’ coach, although he was in the dugout on three occasions last season, due to the sanction of Javi Gracia.

He will be the 11th Málaga CF coach in the top flight (apart from interim coaches, Juan Carlos Añón and Rafa Gil), and the second Uruguayan coach in Malaguista history – the first under the MCF name – succeeding Voltaire García, the former CD Málaga player in the 70s, who coached Atlético Malagueño in the 1993/94 season.

Players in common Celta de Vigo-Málaga CF

Catanha, Couñago, Baiano, Quincy and Charles

Coaches in common Celta de Vigo-Málaga CF

José Manuel Díaz Novoa

Players in common Celta de Vigo-CD Málaga

Montoro, Muruaga, Seoane, Sobrado, Alonso, Ares, Carlos Torres, Mori, Búa and Zambrano

Coaches in common Celta de Vigo-CD Málaga

Luis Urquiri, Ricardo Zamora, Pasarín, Lluís Miró and Milorad Pavic

(*) The legendary Juan Arza, a CD Málaga player in the 1942/43 season, was coach of Celta de Vigo

Celta de Vigo-CD Malacitano

During the CD Malacitano period, there were numerous players who were also part of Celta de Vigo.  Chronologically, the first player was Camilo Liz Salgado, a CD Malacitano player between 1934 and 1936, who passed away in 2009 at 96 years of age.  Other players were Pedro Casabona “Pedrín”, a Malacitano goalkeeper between 1935 and 1940, and Santiago Sanz “Yayo”, in the 1940/41 season.  A special mention goes out to Bartolomé Salas, a defender from the Balearics, who passed away in 2013, and was the last surviving CD Malacitano player who formed part of the squad in the 1939/40 season.

To take into account

• Kameni, should he play, will reach his 100th official match with Málaga CF.
• Best national goal-scorers. Sandro, the Blue and Whites’ highest goal-scorer, with 7 goals.  Aspas, with 10 goals, is the ‘pichichi’ of Vigo.
• González González will officiate his 23rd official MCF match between the First Division, Second Division and Copa del Rey; and the 12^th away game.  Málaga CF’s stats include two victories, three draws and six defeats, with the Real Madrid 0-0 Málaga CF clash (26/09/2015) Málaga CF’s last away game he officiated.

The first Celta de Vigo – Málaga CF

On 22nd December 1999, Celta de Vigo and Málaga CF came face to face for the first time at Balaídos. The 17^th match of 1999/00, in which Víctor Fernández’s Celta, 2nd in the table, hosted a 16th-placed Málaga in the First Division.  Joaquín Peiró’s men won by 2-4 thanks to a hat trick by Catanha, and another goal from Rufete. The line-up consisted of: Contreras; Rojas, Larrainzar, Bravo, Valcarce; Rufete, Movilla (Roteta 89’), De los Santos, Agostinho (Sandro 76’); Edgar (Ruano 87’) and Catanha.

Historical stats

• Camacho scored his only double in an away match in the First Division, in the Celta de Vigo 0-2 Málaga CF match (21^st March 2014). Balaídos is special for the midfielder, whose only international appearance with Spain’s first team was in the friendly against Germany (0-1, Kroos), which took place in 2014.
• Fabrice Olinga, at 16 years and 98 days old, was the youngest player to score a goal in the First Division.  It was in a Celta-Málaga (0-1) match held on 18^th August 2012.  The Cameroonian became the youngest player to take part in an official match with Málaga CF.
• On 24^th May 1992, Balaídos hosted the last CD Málaga match before its disappearance; a Celta-Málaga clash, with a home win by 3-0.
• On 21^st December 1986, in the match that ended Celta 3-2 CD Málaga, the fateful collision between Gallardo and Baltazar took place, which led to the death of the great Malaguista goalkeeper weeks later.