Málaga to carry entire fanbase to Almería in shirt initiative for promotion decider | OneFootball

Málaga will try to bridge the gap in Almería by taking their entire fanbase in spirit. According to Superdeporte, the club announced on social media last night that the team will wear a shirt printed with the names of all 26,550 season-ticket holders under the “Todos a Almería” banner.

The play-off concludes on Saturday 20 June after a 0-0 first leg. Almería finished higher, so if Málaga do not win in 90 minutes or after 30 of extra time there will be no penalties and the hosts will go up.

Almería expect more than 18,000 backing them inside a full stadium. Málaga’s allocation is limited to 350 in the away section, so the gesture aims to narrow the gap from afar.

Talk in both cities has centred on a return to the top flight. Almería fans staged a mass send-off before the first leg, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who owns 25% of the club’s shares, has posted messages of support.

Málaga have spent seven seasons in the second tier plus one in the Primera Federación, and have not been this close since relegation in 2018-19. Almería have visited the top flight more recently, but eight of their last 10 seasons have been in the second tier and there is hope of building something stable above.

Kick-off is 21:00 at the UD Almería Stadium, where the tie will decide the third team to join Racing de Santander and Deportivo de la Coruña next season.

Source: Superdeporte