ESTEPONA, Spain (Interstat) — A youthful Malaga U19 side will look to carry momentum from its league campaign into the Copa del Rey Juvenil when it travels to face CD Estepona on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.

The matchup, part of Spain’s prestigious national youth cup competition, pits a Malaga U19 team coming off a recent result against a top-tier opponent against a CD Estepona squad looking to find its footing.

Malaga U19 fell 2-0 to Real Betis U19 in a domestic league match on Sept. 21. Despite that loss, facing a fellow academy side from a prominent La Liga club could provide a sterner test than Thursday’s cup opponent from the lower tiers.

Both teams enter this cup fixture with official records of 0-0 in the competition, and neither has registered a win or loss across all competitions this season, making recent form a limited metric for prediction.

According to the Interstat game simulator, Malaga U19 is projected to secure a narrow 1-0 victory. The model suggests Malaga’s structure, developed within a professional academy system, may give it a slight edge over the club-based Estepona.

The cup setting often levels the playing field, however, and Estepona will be motivated to defend its home pitch and cause an upset against the more established youth program.

Kickoff is scheduled for Thursday at a stadium in Estepona. The winner will advance to the next round of the Copa del Rey Juvenil.