This is a provincial rivalry match between the Malaguistas currently in 12th place with 17 points (3 wins, 8 draws, 1 loss) in LaLiga Hypermotion, and an Estepona side sitting in 3rd place with 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss) in Group 4 of Segunda Federación.
The match will be officiated by Germán Cid Camacho, a 37-year-old from Segovia who has 12 seasons of experience in the Third Division and two in the Second Division, including the 23/24 and current 24/25 seasons. In the Copa del Rey, he has officiated four matches (showing 23 yellow cards and 3 red cards), with one home win, one draw, and two away victories.
The rival
CD Estepona Fútbol Sénior, founded in 2014, is coached by Oriol Riera and has spent three consecutive seasons in the fourth tier of Spanish football under its current name.
In its 10 years of history, the club has had former Atlético Malagueño coaches including Manel Ruano and Salva Ballesta on the bench, as well as former reserve team players such as Kike Pina, Manu Alemán, and Marco Abreu, who are currently part of Funes and Bravo’s squad.
The club’s previous name, Unión Estepona (1995-2014), came after the reformation of the former CD Estepona (1949-1994). Unión played in the old Segunda División B from 1989 to 1994, and again from 2009 to 2011.
Coaches including José Luis Monreal, Burgueña, and Antonio Montero ‘Nene’ were prominent figures associated with the now-defunct CD Málaga.
The list of notable players shared between the Estepona team and the Club includes footballers who played for MCF such as Armandito, Ríos, Carmona, Catanha, Orozco, and Raúl Gaitán. From CD Málaga, there were players like Muñoz Pérez, Popo, Antonio Monreal, David Rico, and Antonio Vega. In addition, from Atlético Malagueño as the Blue and White first team, there was Chupi, Servia, and goalkeeper Pariente.
Notable players with a history at all three aforementioned Malaguista teams - CD Málaga, Málaga CF, and Atlético Malagueño - who also played for Estepona include Juanma, the first official goal scorer in Málaga CF's history, and Jesule.
(*) David Cabello, a former coach of the MCF Juvenil 'A' team, played for Unión Estepona.
(**) Paco Ruiz, a former goalkeeping coach for MCF, was a goalkeeper for CD Estepona.
Match info
- A total of 26 Blue and White players have participated in at least one official match so far in the 24/25 season. This includes 22 of the 25 players licensed to the first team - everyone except Carlos López, Moussa, and Ramón - along with the reserve team players Ochoa, Antoñito Cordero, Izan Merino, and Chupete.
- In the previous 23/24 season, Málaga CF progressed to the next round in their cup debut. After drawing 0-0 away against Barakaldo, they won 2-4 in the penalty shootout, with a standout performance from Carlos López in goal.
- The biggest win for MCF in the Copa del Rey, both away from home and overall, dates back to 16th December 2020. They won 0-4 against the Galician team Coruxo, with goals from Orlando Sá, Juan Cruz, Yanis Rahmani, and Caye Quintana.
- Sergio Paulo Barbosa ‘Duda’ is the Málaga CF player with the most appearances in the Copa, having played 23 matches. Roque Santa Cruz holds the record as the club's top scorer in the tournament, with 6 goals.
- Since 1994, MCF has participated in 29 editions of the Copa del Rey. In their debut in the competition during this period, they progressed to the next round a total of 18 times. The first victorious precedent came in the 96/97 season, where they defeated Realejos 1-0 on aggregate (with Basti scoring), under the management of Pepe Cayuela.
Stats and facts
- The best season for MCF in the Copa del Rey era was the 14/15 season. The Blue and Whites, managed by Javi Gracia, reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, where they were eliminated by Athletic Club de Bilbao (0-0 in the first leg at La Rosaleda; 1-0 in the return leg at San Mamés, with a goal from Aduriz).
- CD Málaga were just one step away from the cup final during the 'Golden Quinquennium' in the 72/73 season. Players like Los Viberti, Migueli, Deusto, Martínez, Vilanova, Macías, and others were defeated in the semi-finals by Athletic Club, with an aggregate score of 3-1. Athletic Club went on to win the final against Castellón.
- In the Campeonato de España-Copa de S.M. El Rey, under the name Atlético Malagueño, there are three precedents against Malagueño rivals in the first round of the tournament. One was a victory against Vélez CF in the 79/80 season, while there were two eliminations: one against CD Alhaurino in the 82/83 season and another against CD Ronda in the 85/86 season.
- Atlético Malagueño, as the first Blue and White team, played away against CD Estepona in the 28th matchday of the 93/94 season in Group IV of Segunda B. They won 0-1, with a penalty goal scored by Diego López for the team managed by the Uruguayan Voltaire García. The starting-11 included Burgos, Sergio Magano, Bravo, Jesule, Richard, Diego López, Rafa Muñoz, Juanma, Chupi (Servia), Almagro, and Husillos (Basti).