Alaves vs Sevilla match preview and predictions for Tuesday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as Abelardo returns for his second spell at Mendizorrotza.
- DATE: Tuesday 19th January 2021
- KICK-OFF: 21:30 (local time)
- STADIUM: Mendizorrotza
- COMPETITION: LaLiga
Alaves vs Sevilla Preview
Sevilla travel north to Vitoria on Tuesday to take on Alaves in LaLiga. The visitors are strong candidates to finish in the top four again but their hopes of an unlikely title challenge were all but extinguished by a defeat against leaders Atletico Madrid last week.
This will be Alaves’ first league match since their slightly surprising decision to sack Pablo Machin. With 18 points from 18 games, he was largely seen to be doing a solid if not spectacular job. A 3-1 defeat at Cadiz last time out in LaLiga, coupled with the possibility that opened up for Alaves to reappoint former boss Abelardo, were the circumstances that led to Machin’s third sacking in as many seasons in the Spanish top flight.
Abelardo did an absolutely brilliant job at Mendizorrotza during his first spell, rescuing the team from deep relegation trouble in 2017/18 before guiding them to a solid mid-table finish in 2018/19. He couldn’t work any miracles at Espanyol, where he also replaced Pablo Machin, last season though. His first game back at Alaves meanwhile was an absolute disaster, as his side lost 5-0 away to Segunda División Almeria in the Copa del Rey at the weekend. It’s safe to say he will want to see a reaction here.
That won’t be easy against a Sevilla side that is currently 6th in LaLiga but will expect to finish higher. Julen Lopetegui’s team come into this following back-to-back matches at the Wanda Metropolitano. After losing 2-0 to Atleti, they saw off Leganes 1-0 in the Copa but did need an Extra Time goal from Lucas Ocampos to emerge victorious.
They travel north in not the most convincing form with a poor showing but ultimately a point in the Seville derby also among their recent outings. They did rotate quite considerably in that cup game though so ought to be fresh here as they look to put three points on the board in Vitoria.
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Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Alaves Win, 3 Sevilla Wins, 2 Draws.
- Sevilla won 1-0 here last season in LaLiga but were held to a 1-1 draw when the sides met in the Basque Country.
- Sevilla are unbeaten in 5 games against Alaves overall.
- They last lost to Alaves when they visited Vitoria in January 2018, just a month into Abelardo’s first reign in charge of Alaves.
Team News
Tachi is banned for Alaves who will recall a number of first team regulars following that cup humiliation. It should still be 4-4-2 though for Abelardo’s side.
Tomas Vaclik and Sergio Escudero are Sevilla’s only definite absentees and neither are first team regulars right now in any case.
Predicted Alaves Starting Lineup:
Pacheco – Duarte, Lejeune, Laguardia, Ximo – Rioja, Battaglia, Pina, Mendez – Joselu, Deyverson (4-4-2)
Predicted Sevilla Starting Lineup:
Bono – Acuna, Carlos, Kounde, Navas – Rakitic, Fernando, Jordan – Ocampos, En-Nesyri, Suso (4-3-3)
Alaves vs Sevilla Predictions
Score Prediction: Alaves 0-1 Sevilla
Second spells often don’t go as well for returning coaches and the very early evidence suggests that might be the case with Abelardo too. He got the very maximum out of his Alaves team during his 18 months in charge but there have been quite a few personnel changes since and it’ll be tough for him to recreate that magic. This looks exactly like the kind of game this battling Sevilla team will win without exerting total control.
Alaves vs Sevilla Betting Tips (18+)
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