Alaves vs Atletico Madrid predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for the head-to-head, team news, predicted lineups and fantasy football picks as the champions travel to Vitoria.
| Date | Saturday 25th September 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 14:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Mendizorrotza |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Alaves vs Atletico Madrid Preview
Atletico Madrid’s title defence continues this Saturday with a trip to Vitoria to play struggling Alaves. Diego Simeone’s side had a similar kind of fixture in midweek and needed a late goal to win and they’ll come anticipating a difficult game here too despite how poorly their opponents have started.
Alavés boss Javi Calleja is already a man under pressure with his side having lost all five games so far this season. The latest defeat came in the form of a narrow 1-0 loss at Espanyol in midweek with Raul De Tomas’ penalty sealing victory for the Catalan club. Once again there was precious little going forward for Alaves fans to get excited by and it is already shaping up to be a very difficult season for them.
They’ve not scored a goal from open play all season with Joselu’s penalty against Real Madrid on the opening weekend still the only goal they have scored. It’s almost needless to say that they have the worst goalscoring record but at the time of writing, they also have the worst defensive record with 11 goals shipped in 5 games. Calleja needs to find solutions at both ends of the pitch, and fast.
With Real Madrid looking pretty impressive so far, Atleti need to keep winning to keep pace with their city rivals. They continue to make hard work of games, which is fairly typical of them, but their latest late show against Getafe in midweek was quite a turnaround even by their standards with Luis Suarez scoring 78th and 91st minute goals to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory.
The main issue Diego Simeone has right now is just how to fit Antoine Griezmann into this team. So far, his presence has only had an unsettling impact it would seem and given the emotions surrounding his return, the Frenchman needs a big performance soon you sense otherwise larger sections of the Wanda Metropolitano may turn more firmly against a player that many have somewhat reluctantly accepted back into the fold.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 5 Atleti Wins, 1 Draw.
- Atletico Madrid have won the last 3 meetings.
- They’ve not lost any of the last 12.
- Los Rojiblancos have won on 4 of their last 6 trips to Vitoria including a 2-1 win here last term.
Team News
Edgar Méndez and Javi López are both out injured for the hosts.
Joao Félix is suspended for Atletico Madrid while Thomas Lemar is injured. Koke is a doubt. They may switch back to 3-5-2 with Mario Hermoso returning.
Predicted Alaves Starting Lineup:
Pacheco – Duarte, Laguardia, Miazga, Ximo – Rioja, Pina, Loum, Manu Garcia – Guidetti, Joselu (4-4-2)
Predicted Atletico Madrid Starting Lineup:
Oblak – Hermoso, Gimenez, Savic – Lodi, De Paul, Kondogbia, Llorente, Trippier – Griezmann, Suarez (3-5-2)
Alaves vs Atletico Madrid Predictions
Score Prediction: Alaves 0-2 Atletico Madrid
There is very little positive you can say about Alaves right now. They look like a team that is low on confidence, short on quality and with weaknesses at both ends of the pitch. Atletico Madrid should seal the win here without the need for any late drama.
Fantasy Football Picks
LaLiga Predictions & Previews | 2021/22 LaLiga predicted lineups
Mark Sochon is an experienced football writer and editor of LaLiga Expert. Based in Madrid, he has covered La Liga and Spanish football for many years. He also covers Spanish and European football for Goal and Betfred, while his work has previously been published by the Guardian and World Soccer.