Almería – Málaga match preview

The Malaguistas, 4^th with 60 points in a promotion playoff spot, face the Red and Whites sitting 3^rd with 61 points, level with RC Deportivo, who are in 2^nd place before the start of this round and occupy an automatic promotion spot.

The referee for the match will be Jon Ander González from Vizcaya, with David Gálvez from Madrid in charge of the VAR.

Players in common UD Almería-Málaga CF

Dani**, Sousa*, Cidoncha*, Jon Bakero*, Dorado*, Míchel*, Calleja*, Bravo, Juanito, Manolo Gaspar, Rubén, Portillo, Casado, Charles, Yanis Rahmani, Peybernes, Sekou Gassama, Appiah, Fran Villalba and Nelson Monte

(*) As Almería CF
(**) As Almería CF and UD Almería
(***) Malaguista Carlos Puga was part of the UD Almería youth ranks

Coaches in common UD Almería-Málaga CF

Pepe Cayuela*, Javi Gracia and Pepe Mel

(*) As Almería CF

Players in common UD Almería*-CD Málaga

Emilio, Onofre, Castillo and Diego López**

(*) As Almería CF
(**) Also played for Atlético Malagueño -first team-

Coaches in common UD Almería-CD Málaga

None

(*) Esteban Vigo, a historic former player of CD Málaga (1975-77 and 1987-91), managed Almería CF in the 1995/96 season and UD Almería in the 2011/12 campaign

Players who debuted for Málaga CF against UD Almería at the local stadium

• Dani Pacheco (UD Almería 0-1 Málaga CF, 03/09/2018)
• Boulahroud (UD Almería 0-1 Málaga CF, 03/09/2018)

Match info

• Funes equalled his initial run of 9 consecutive unbeaten matches with the first team in the last match. He has recorded 5 wins and 4 draws in his last 9 games, with 19 goals scored and 10 conceded.

• Alfonso Herrero is the only Málaga CF player to have played all 3,150 minutes of the league season. The Toledo-born goalkeeper ranks second in total saves so far (116), behind only UD Almería’s keeper Andrés Fernández (126).

• Chupe is Málaga’s top scorer with 16 goals. He also ranks in the top 3 in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, behind Racing’s Andrés (18) and the league’s top scorer, local player Sergio Arribas (21)

• Izan Merino is available again after serving his suspension against UD Las Palmas. David Larrubia, Joaquín Muñoz, and Rafa Rodríguez are all one booking away from suspension, each having accumulated four yellow cards.

• Málaga CF, playing away in the league, have recorded six wins, three draws, and eight defeats in 17 matches (21 points), with 21 goals scored and 22 conceded.

• UD Almería, the third-best home team in the league, have obtained 12 wins, 2 draws, and 3 defeats in 17 matches (38 points), scoring 43 goals and conceding 24.

Stats and facts

• This will be the seventh time Málaga CF have played at what is now the UD Almería Stadium in the Second Division against UD Almería. In the previous six meetings, Málaga have recorded one win (0-1 in 2018/19, with a goal from Jack Harper), three draws, and two defeats.

• Across all competitions, Málaga CF have played 16 matches in Almería (including three as Atlético Malagueño, the club’s first team), spanning every level of Spanish football. Their record stands at 2 wins, 6 draws, and 8 defeats. Five of those matches were in the First Division, six in Second Division, two in Second Division B, one in Third Division, and two in the Copa del Rey. Overall, Málaga have scored 11 goals and conceded 21 in these fixtures.

• The now-defunct CD Málaga and AD Almería met on three occasions in Almería between 1979 and 1982. The home side won twice: 3-0 in the 1978/79 Second Division season and 3-2 in the top flight in 1979/80. The third meeting, in the 1981/82 Second Division campaign, ended in a 0-0 draw.

• Across the nine seasons Málaga CF have played in the Second Division, on matchday 36, they have recorded five wins and four draws, with the most recent coming in the 2024/25 season in Eibar (2-2).