A provincial rivalry match between the Blue and Whites, currently 13th in the LALIGA HYPERMOTION table with 14 points from 11 games, and the home team, which competes in Group 4 of the Segunda Federación, along with Atlético Malagueño, Málaga CF’s reserve team, occupying 14th place in the standings (a relegation spot) with 7 points from 8 matchdays.
José Antonio Sánchez will officiate the match. The 34-year-old from Almería has refereed 6 Copa del Rey games in his career, with 2 home wins and 4 away wins, showing a total of 31 yellow cards and 2 red cards. He will be assisted on the sidelines by Roberto Tejero and Ángel Munuera.
The rival
Club Deportivo Estepona Fútbol Sénior, founded in 2014, is coached by Xavi Molist and has spent four consecutive seasons in the fourth tier of Spanish football under its current name.
In just over a decade of history, the club has had former Atlético Malagueño coaches such as Manel Ruano and Salva Ballesta on the bench, as well as former reserve team players like Kike Pina, Manu Alemán, Marco Abreu, or Ale Contreras, the latter currently part of the Estepona squad along with goalkeeper Alfonso Liceras, who played for Málaga CF’s Juvenil ‘A’ team, and fellow Malaguista academy product Javi Duarte.
The club’s previous name, Unión Estepona (1995–2014), followed a re-founding of the former CD Estepona (1949–1994). The Estepona team played in the old Segunda División B from 1989 to 1994, and Unión Estepona did so from 2009 to 2011.
Coaches such as José Luis Monreal, Burgueña, and Antonio Montero ‘Nene’ stand out as notable figures connected to both Estepona’s history and the now-defunct CD Málaga.
The list of notable players shared between Estepona and the Club includes footballers who played for MCF such as Armandito, Ríos, Carmona, Catanha, Orozco, and Raúl Gaitán; from CD Málaga, players like Muñoz Pérez (who gives his name to the local stadium), Popo, Antonio Monreal, David Rico, and Antonio Vega; and from Atlético Malagueño, as Málaga’s first reserve team, players such as Chupi, Servia, and goalkeeper Pariente.
And with a past in all three Málaga-based teams mentioned, CD Málaga, Málaga CF, and Atlético Malagueño, who also played for Estepona, standout figures include Juanma, the first goal scorer in an official match in MCF’s history, and Jesule.
(*) David Cabello, former coach of MCF’s Juvenil ‘A’ team, played for Unión Estepona
(**) Paco Ruiz, former goalkeeping coach of MCF, was a goalkeeper for CD Estepona.”
Match info
- A total of 27 Blue and White players have appeared in at least one official match so far in the 2025/26 season. All are registered with the first team except goalkeeper Carlos López and long-term injured players Moussa and Ramón. Reserve team players Recio and Rafita have made their first-team debuts.
- MCF’s biggest Copa del Rey win, both away from home and overall, dates back to 16th December 2020. A 0–4 victory over Coruxo in Galicia, with goals from Orlando Sá, Juan Cruz, Yanis Rahmani and Caye Quintana.
- Sérgio Paulo Barbosa ‘Duda’ is the Málaga CF player with the most appearances (23) in the Copa del Rey. And Roque Santa Cruz is the top scorer, with 6 goals.
- Since 1994, Málaga CF have competed in 30 editions of the Copa del Rey. In that span, the team has advanced past the opening round on 18 occasions. The first successful precedent, in the 1996/97 season, came against Realejos with a 1–0 aggregate score (Basti the Malaguista goal scorer), under the management of Pepe Cayuela.
Stats and facts
- In the 2024/25 season, Málaga CF were eliminated in their Copa del Rey opener away against CD Estepona FS. The match, played in La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz), ended in a 3–2 victory for Estepona after extra time. Roko Baturina and David Larrubia were the goal scorers for Málaga.
- The best Copa del Rey seasons for Málaga CF saw the team reach the quarterfinals. Under its current name, the club has reached the quarterfinals on two occasions. In the historic 2012/13 season, Málaga, managed by Pellegrini, were eliminated by FC Barcelona with a 4-6 aggregate score. And with Javi Gracia on the bench, Málaga were eliminated by Athletic Club de Bilbao in the 2014/15 season (0–0 in the first leg at La Rosaleda; 1–0 in the return leg at San Mamés).
- CD Málaga came just short of reaching the Copa del Rey final during the club’s ‘Quinquenio dorado’, in the 1972/73 season. Viberti, Migueli, Deusto, Martínez, Vilanova, Macías, and their teammates were eliminated in the semifinals by Athletic Club de Bilbao with a 3–1 aggregate score. Athletic 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 first-round precedents against fellow Málaga-based teams. One victory came against Vélez CF in the 1979/80 season, while two eliminations occurred against CD Alhaurino in 1982/83 and CD Ronda in 1985/86.
- Atlético Malagueño, as Málaga’s first reserve team, played away against CD Estepona in the 28th round of the 1993/94 season in Group IV of Segunda B. They won 0–1 with a penalty goal from Diego López for the team managed by Uruguayan Voltaire García, who fielded a lineup of Burgos, Sergio Magano, Bravo, Jesule, Richard, Diego López, Rafa Muñoz, Juanma, Chupi (Servia), Almagro, and Husillos (Basti).