Verdict: Both teams score
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Sevilla travels to Alaves looking for the 2nd win in La Liga following a disappointing start that left the former Europa League winners in the bottom half of the table. The game will be played on Friday night at Mendizorrotza Stadium in front of 19000 fans keen to see Alaves home invincibility extended.
Alaves
After a previous season with excellent results that led to Alaves finishing 10th and avoiding the relegation threat, the hosts are targeting a Conference League position by the end of this term. Starting the pre-season preparations early, the hosts finalized their squad following 8 test games against other Spanish sides.
Although the Blue Whites didn t play against top opponents before the official start, defeating Real Sociedad, Valencia and Osasuna proved Luis Garcia s team was on the right track before the start of La Liga. Despite making a good impression in the friendlies that raised the expectations for Alaves to improve their La Liga debut, the Blue Whites stumbled in the opening game played away at Celta Vigo (2-1 defeat).
While making some key adjustments following the Celta Vigo defeat should return a better output in the home game played against Betis, Luis Garcia s side was lucky to avoid the defeat (0-0) after being dominated completely by Betis who failed to hit the target despite having 15 goal attempts.
Because of a disappointing start that sent Alaves to the bottom positions of the table, Luis Garcia changed the system from a 4-4-2 to a more attacking 4-2-3-1 before heading to Real Sociedad. This move proved genius as Alaves shocked La Real with a 2-1 win. Returning home in top form, the Blue Whites have built momentum by defeating Las Palmas (2-0) but ended their winning run at Espanyol after faltering with a 3-2 defeat.
A positive result against Sevilla will be an excellent way to increase the team s confidence before travelling to Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid where they crashed (5-0) at the end of last season.
Team News
Right-back Hugo Novoa is the only unavailable player to face Sevilla. The U21 Spain international has had heel issues since September 10 and missed two games. Seeing positive results after changing the system, Luis Garcia will likely stick to the 4-2-3-1 counterattacking lineup that yielded great results against Real Sociedad.
Sevilla
Following a disappointing spell with several managers failing to bring Sevilla back to the top, the club turned to Garcia Pimenta hoping for the experienced boss to lead Sevilla into the European competitions.
However, the new boss has a big task at hand as Sevilla finished the last term on their knees being more close to relegation than to playing in Europe following a nightmare late run that returned four consecutive defeats. Adding to their woes was losing their top asset Youssef El-Nesiryi who departed to Turkey to play under Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce.
While the Summer preparations returned positive results with three consecutive wins ended with a 4-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, the start of La Liga caught Los Nervionenses off-guard. Despite scoring twice in their opening game played at Las Palmas, Sevilla had to settle for a draw (2-2) after failing twice to defend their lead.
Returning home with high expectations after the Las Palmas trip, Garcia Pimenta s team displayed their limits against Villareal by surrendering to a 2-1 defeat. Although Sevilla was expected to bounce back in the following game played at Mallorca, a goalless stalemate pointed out the lack of quality in front of the opposition s box that persisted home against Girona (2-0 defeat).
Taking advantage of a favourable schedule, the visitors remained in Sevilla, where they narrowly edged Getafe (1-0) recording the first seasonal win that propelled the team out of the relegation zone with 5 points after 5 rounds.
Team News
Right-winger Suso and central midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga are injured and will not face Alaves. Their absence is a valid reason for Sevilla s slow start with results below par as the pair are key figures in Sevilla s starting lineup.
Key factors to consider
Alaves defeated Las Palmas and Real Sociedad in La Liga
The hosts have been undefeated at Mendizorrotza Stadium since March 2024
Sevilla had a poor start recording a single win in five games
The visitors have a great record in the most recent games played at Alaves (W3D1L1)
Conclusion
Alaves had an excellent start in La Liga and are keen to extend their home invincibility. However, Sevilla can score away despite having a few key players injured. We expect an open game controlled by the home side leaving enough space for the visitors to hit the target.
Verdict: Both teams score
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