Alaves vs Villarreal match preview and predictions for Wednesday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the hosts aim to put back-to-back wins together.
| Date | Wednesday 21st April 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Mendizorrotza |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Alaves vs Villarreal Preview
Alaves face another vital game in their battle for top flight survival when they play host to Villarreal this Wednesday in LaLiga. The Basque club claimed a badly needed win at the weekend but it will be tougher here you sense against Unai Emery’s in-form side.
Alaves’ victory came in the form of a 1-0 home win over fellow strugglers Huesca. It was their first under recently appointed Javi Calleja and it came after a sequence that had seen Alaves collect just two points from eight games, putting an end to Abelardo’s second spell at the club. Rodrigo Battaglia’s goal five minutes from time saw off Huesca and could prove to be one of the most important scored in the club’s recent history.
As a result Alaves head into matchday 32 on 27 points, level with Real Valladolid and Huesca, and just clear of Elche and Eibar. Momentum is so key at this stage in the season and that weekend win really will restore some belief and give Alaves a platform from which to potentially put together a decent run of form that might just keep them in the league.
They couldn’t have a much tougher game next up than Villarreal though. The Yellow Submarine hammered Levante 5-1 at the weekend to make it 4 wins from 5 league games at a time in the season when they’ve also been making excellent progress in the Europa League.
Unless UEFA carries through on their threat to remove Super League clubs from their competitions, Villarreal will play the 1st Leg of their Semi-Final against Arsenal next week. They are now effectively guaranteed a place in Europe next term with a 10 point advantage on 8th placed Granada so it seems highly likely that Emery will rotate heavily in either this game or their weekend home match against Barcelona.
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Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 3 Villarreal Wins, 3 Alaves Wins.
- Alaves have won 3 of the last 6 meetings in Vitoria but Villarreal have won 2 of their last 3 visits.
- Villarreal were 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture earlier this term.
- All of the last 6 meetings have seen both teams score.
Team News
Rodrigo Ely is the only definite absentee for the hosts.
Pervis Estupiñán remains a doubt for Villarreal who are likely to rotate in some areas.
Predicted Alaves Starting Lineup:
Pacheco – Duarte, Lejeune, Laguardia, Navarro – Pons, Pina, Battaglia, Jota – Joselu, Perez (4-4-2)
Predicted Villarrea Starting Lineup:
Asenjo – Pedraza, Torres, Albiol, Suarez – Gomez, Parejo, Trigueros – Bacca, Gerard, Chukwueze (4-3-3)
Alaves vs Villarreal Predictions
Score Prediction: Alaves 1-1 Villarreal
Villarreal may opt to rest a few players as they bid to save energy levels for that key European Semi-Final that is coming up. That will make it a bit simpler for Alaves who will be in a more confident mood following that weekend win but they may still lack the quality needed to win this one and a draw seems a likely outcome.
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