The Blue and Whites, currently 4th in the table with 66 points in the promotion playoff spots, face AD Ceuta FC in 11th place with 55 points.
AD Ceuta FC
Under its current name, the North African club spent four consecutive seasons in the third tier (2021-25) and, in the current 2025-26 season, made its debut in LALIGA HYPERMOTION.
The Ceuta-based side has gone through numerous name changes throughout its history. The current AD Ceuta FC, known as such since 2013, was preceded by Asociación Deportiva Ceuta (1994-2012). Before that, SD Ceuta, called Ceuta Sport Club until 1939 (1932- 56), and Atlético Tetuán (1933-56), both of which ceased to exist the same year after merging, along with Atlético Ceuta, were the main representatives of football in Ceuta.
In the current AD Ceuta FC squad there are two former Málaga CF players; left-back Matos and midfielder Cristian Rodríguez. Swiss striker, Lorenzo González, has also played for both clubs. There are also several players who have represented Atlético Malagueño and later went on to play for Ceuta’s first team, such as Kuki Zalazar, who is part of the current squad, as well as David Ramos, Hoyos, and Nané.
Match info
• Alfonso Herrero is the only player in the Málaga CF squad to have played all 3,510 minutes of the league campaign. The Toledo-born goalkeeper is also second in the competition so far in total saves (126), only behind UD Almería goalkeeper Andrés Fernández (140).
• Chupe is Málaga CF’s top scorer with 20 goals and the second-highest scorer in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, tied with Racing’s Andrés, and four goals behind the division’s ‘pichichi’, Sergio Arribas (24). Marcos, with 13 goals, is the home team’s best scorer.
• Larrubia leads by a wide margin in the dribbling statistics of the competition. The number 10 has successfully completed 100 dribbles, topping the category ahead of Córdoba’s Carracedo (86) and Deportivo’s Yeremay (85) in LALIGA HYPERMOTION.
• Joaquín is in double digits. The winger, after scoring against Sporting last week at La Rosaleda, added his fourth goal of the season. If his six assists are also included making him the team’s top provider, his total offensive contribution has now reached double digits.
• Murillo and Dotor are unavailable due to suspension. David Larrubia and Joaquín Muñoz are the Malaguistas who are one booking away from suspension, having accumulated four yellow cards in their current cycle.
• As an away team in the league, Málaga CF have played 19 matches, recording seven wins, three draws, and nine losses (24 points), with 27 goals scored and 27 conceded.
• AD Ceuta FC, in 19 home matches, have obtained 11 wins, four draws, and four losses (37 points), with 26 goals scored and 19 conceded.
Stats and facts
• This is the second time that Málaga CF and AD Ceuta FC, under their current names, have played an official match at the Alfonso Murube. The previous meeting ended in a 3-2 victory for Ceuta on matchday 19 of the Primera Federación during the 2023-24 season.
• CD Málaga faced Atlético Ceuta, one of the predecessors of the current AD Ceuta FC, eight times in the Second Division in North African territory between 1957 and 1967. The Malaguistas’ record was two wins, one draw, and five defeats, with 7 goals scored and 12 conceded.
• CD Malacitano and CD Málaga faced Ceuta Sport Club and SD Ceuta in Ceuta between 1939-1942. CD Malacitano lost 2-1 away to Ceuta Sport Club in the Second Division in the 1939-40 season. Meanwhile, Club Deportivo Málaga played twice away against Sociedad Deportiva Ceuta in the Second Division, 0-1 in 1941-42 and 1-0 in 1942-43.
• In the nine seasons they have played in the second tier, on matchday 40, Málaga CF have recorded four wins, three draws, and two defeats. The most recent precedent was in the 2024-25 season, with a 2-1 victory at La Rosaleda against Sporting de Gijón.