Alavés vs Valencia

Valencia will pursue their ambition of securing a European spot as they head to Mendizorroza for a La Liga clash with Alaves on Wednesday.

On the other hand, the hosts are fighting to maintain their place in the top tier, with only a single point keeping them above the relegation zone.

Alaves are teetering just outside the bottom three, having recorded eight wins, 11 draws, and 16 losses in their 35 La Liga matches this season.

El Glorioso entered Sunday’s match against fellow Basque team Athletic Bilbao on a three-game unbeaten run, having shared points with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid while securing a tight 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in between.

That loss left Alaves only one point ahead of 18th-placed Leganes, though they remain three points clear of Las Palmas with three matches remaining against Valencia, Real Valladolid, and Osasuna.

As they prepare for Wednesday’s home game, Alaves might be wary of their inability to score more than one goal in any of their last 12 league matches, a trend that began after netting twice in October’s loss to Real Valladolid.

However, they have shown resilience at Mendizorroza, conceding more than one goal in just one of their past 12 home league games and securing clean sheets in three of their last five matches in front of their home crowd.

The hosts will also draw encouragement from their record of remaining unbeaten in their last five home games against Valencia, including wins in their two most recent encounters at Mendizorroza.

Since taking over from Ruben Baraja in December, Carlos Corberan has orchestrated a stunning turnaround for Valencia.

The former West Bromwich Albion manager inherited a team stuck in 19th place, four points from safety, after managing just two wins in their opening 17 league matches.

Under Corberan’s guidance, Valencia have climbed out of the relegation zone and into the race for European qualification, with nine victories, six draws, and only three defeats in his 18 La Liga games in charge.

Remarkably, Los Che have gone unbeaten in their last 10 matches since a home loss to Atletico Madrid on February 22, including consecutive wins in their most recent games against Las Palmas and Getafe.

After scoring three goals in a 3-2 victory over Las Palmas, Valencia delivered another high-scoring performance to outclass their former manager Jose Bordalas in Saturday’s home match against Getafe, with Pepelu and Hugo Duro converting penalties and Diego Lopez adding a goal for a 3-0 first-half rout.

This fourth win in five home games has positioned Valencia just two points shy of the Conference League spot and four points behind seventh-placed Celta Vigo, who hold the final Europa League qualifying berth.

Los Che will aim to carry their strong momentum into ending their winless streak against Alaves, having last beaten them 3-0 at home in August 2021, while their last La Liga victory at Mendizorroza came in October 2017.