Eibar vs Alaves predictions and match preview for Saturday’s Segunda División play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg. Read on for analysis ahead of the big all Basque showdown at Ipurua.
| Date | Saturday 3rd June 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 18:30 (local time) |
| Stadium | Ipurua |
| Competition | LaLiga SmartBank |
Eibar vs Alaves Preview
The Segunda Division play-offs start with a Basque Derby at Ipurua. Both Eibar and Alaves will be reeling a bit from having narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and it’ll be interesting to see which team can wipe the slate clean and bring their best football to this match.
Eibar fans would be forgiven for thinking “here we go again”. They spent the majority of last season in an automatic promotion position only to miss out on a top two place in the dying minutes of the season, before failing in the play-offs. This year, they topped the Segunda Division table from matchdays 31 to 38 but again suffered some poor late results to fall to 5th place.
They’ll be glad to see the back of May which saw them suffer defeats against Las Palmas and Racing, and also draw with Sporting before a narrow win at Huesca on the final day in what was by that point an insignificant game. Gaizka Garitano will be hoping they can find a way to forget the demons of last season and the run-in this year, to make a really strong push for promotion in the play-offs.
Standing in their way are Alaves who also come into the play-offs on the back of a big disappointment. They needed to win in Gran Canaria last weekend to clinch automatic promotion but could only draw a tense game 0-0 with Asier Villalibre missing their only clear chance in the Second Half. The result was a 4th place finish and what will be a short trip for Alaves followers as two Basque sides face off.
Their attempt to immediately bounce back to the Primera has been a mixed affair. Luis Garcia did a good job early on of constructing what was largely a new team following a miserable season last term. They’ve been strong at home but averaged only 1.19 points per game on the road during the regular season which largely cost them an automatic promotion place.
Score Prediction: Eibar 0-0 Alaves
Everything points to a pretty even tie between two local neighbours who have operated at a similar level this season. Home advantage could be important but strange things do happen in the play-offs as we saw last season when Eibar won the 1st Leg at Girona, before losing the return 2-0 at Ipurua. It’s hard to see either coach throwing too much caution to the wind here and a tight game of few goals looks likely.
PLEASE NOTE – Our Segunda División predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
