Villarreal will be bidding to make it seven games unbeaten in La Liga when they continue their 2024-25 campaign with an away fixture against Alaves on Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Submarine are currently fifth in the La Liga table, four points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, while Alaves are 19th in the division, one point behind 17th-placed Las Palmas.
Match preview
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Alaves will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Mallorca, which will go down as a positive result, but the Basque outfit are without a victory in Spain's top flight since the middle of January.
Only three points have been secured from their last six league fixtures, with the team sitting down in 19th spot in the table, one point behind 17th-placed Las Palmas on the same number of matches (26).
Alaves have a record of five wins, eight draws and 13 defeats in La Liga this season, with three of their successes coming in front of their own fans, but they have also lost five times at Mendizorrotza Stadium.
The Blue and Whites are winless in their last three La Liga games with Villarreal, and they suffered a 3-0 defeat when the two teams locked horns for the reverse match earlier this season.
The corresponding game last term finished 1-1, though, while Alaves were 2-1 winners in this fixture in April 2022.
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While Alaves are battling against the drop, Villarreal are chasing down the top four in Spain's top flight, with the Yellow Submarine bidding to secure Champions League football for the 2025-26 campaign.
Marcelino's side have a record of 12 wins, eight draws and five defeats from their 25 league matches this season, with a total of 44 points leaving them in fifth position in the table.
Villarreal are six points ahead of sixth-placed Real Betis, while they are only four points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao with a game in hand, so the team are firmly in the battle for a top-four finish at this stage of proceedings.
Marcelino's team recorded a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano last time out, and they are unbeaten in their last six league matches, with that run including three victories in their last four encounters in Spain's top flight.
Villarreal have been free-scoring this season, netting 48 times in their 25 matches, which is the third-best attacking record in the division, but they have also conceded 35, which is high considering their spot in the table.
Team News
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Alaves are again expected to be missing Tomas Conechny, Hugo Novoa and Carlos Benavidez for Saturday's contest, but the Basque outfit have not suffered any fresh issues in the build-up.
Head coach Coudet could name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Mallorca last time out considering the impressive nature of the performance and the result.
Experienced forward Kike Garcia is having an excellent season, finding the back of the net on 11 occasions in Spain's top flight, and there will once again be a spot in the final third of the field for the 35-year-old.
As for Villarreal, Kiko Femenia remains a doubt due to an upper back issue, while Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach will be unavailable for selection due to injury problems.
Ayoze Perez has been the team's standout attacker this season, netting 11 times in La Liga, and there will be a spot in the final third of the field for the 31-year-old.
Head coach Marcelo is likely to name the same XI from the win over Rayo last time out, with Alex Baena and Yeremy Pino operating in the wide areas, while there should be a spot in central midfield for Santi Comesana.
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Tenaglia, Abqar, Mourino, Sanchez; Vicente, Jordan, Blanco, Alena; Martin, Kike Garcia
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Conde; Foyth, Kambwala, Costa, S Cardona; Pino, Comesana, Gueye, Baena; Perez, Barry
We say: Alaves 1-2 Villarreal
Alaves have avoided defeat in two of their last three matches, but they will now be coming up against an excellent Villarreal outfit; we are expecting Saturday's game to be close in terms of the scoreline, but the Yellow Submarine should be able to navigate their way to an important three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
