Verdict: BTTS
Best odds: 1.83
Bookmaker: ZetBet
Almeria will be looking to claim their first La Liga home win of the season when they welcome Alaves. The match will be played at Power Horse Stadium with the local fans hoping to see a good performance from their favourites.
Almeria
It seems that Almeria is slipping fast towards the second tier of Spanish football. The Andalusian team is having a disastrous season, failing to win after 21 rounds. The side managed by Gaizka Garitano played a blockbuster game at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, suffering a defeat at the end. It was a match that triggered a huge scandal in the Spanis press following the clear favourably referring towards Carlo Ancelott’s team. Despite leading 2-0 at half-time, Almeria lost dramatically 3-2 after an 11th-minute injury-time goal scored by Dani Carvajal. It remains to be seen how Garitano’s players will react, who nevertheless played an excellent game on Madrid’s turf.
Almeria displayed some recovery signs at home where they are unbeaten in their last 3 games. Despite these results, today’s hosts failed to score in any of these games. Girona, Mallorca and Betis are the sides that have left Power Horse Stadium with a goalless draw. All matches Almeria plays until the end of the season become crucial, given the 10-point distance towards the safe zone. Although they have the weakest defence, the hosts proved they know how to play offensive football averaging 1 goal scored per game.
Team News
Gaizka Garitano will not be able to sit on the bench following the red card the Spanish manager received at Santiago Bernabeu for his repeated protests of the referee’s decisions. Luis Suarez, the centre forward, will also join him in the stands having the same faith as his manager.
With Ibrahima Kone being out since October after suffering an ankle injury, Almeria might struggle to line up a competitive 11 to bring them the much-needed 1st win. Adrian Embarba, the experienced Spanish centre forward is expected to start against Alaves.
Alaves
Alaves are having a good season, currently positioned in a safe zone, 8 points clear from relegation. However, the visitors displayed their attacking limits scoring only 19 goals in 21 rounds. It is the 3rd weakest attack in La Liga after that of Rayo Vallecano and Cadiz. The team trained by Luis Garcia doesn’t feel comfortable playing on the road winning only one game away in La Liga. Despite this fact, the visitors managed a very good performance on Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan surprisingly defeating Sevilla, 3-2.
Alaves are going through an excellent period, suffering only one defeat in their last 5 competitive games. The hosts recently showed their class twice, against the Andalusia sides. Defeating Sevilla in the league (3-2) was followed by knocking out Betis from the King’s Cup. It was a narrow 1-0 home victory that propelled the Basque team into the quarter-finals of the competition. Unfortunately for today’s visitors, Athletic Bilbao put an end to Alaves King’s Cup campaign defeating them 2-0 at home. Luis Garcia’s side enjoys playing against Almeria leaving Power Horse Stadium undefeated in 3 of the last 4 encounters.
Team News
Alaves has only a few players out of the squad, leaving Luis Garcia with most of his team fit to face Almeria. Aleksandar Sedlar, the experienced centre-back has been out since November 2023 after suffering a terrible cruciate ligament injury.
Abdel Abkar and Jesus Owono were called up by their national team for the AFCON tournament. Ruben Duarte is at risk of being suspended for the next game if he gets booked against Almeria.
Key factors to consider
- Almeria has one of the worst starts in La Liga history, failing to win a match after 21 games.
- Gaizka Garitano’s team displayed some recovery signs scoring 2 goals at Bernabeu in the controversial defeat suffered against Real Madrid (3-2 final score).
- Almeria has 5 draws and 5 defeats at Power Horse Stadium, scoring 10 goals and conceding 18 in these games.
- Alaves have a relatively safe stand in the table, 8 points from relegation.
- Luis Garcia’s team proved to be a difficult opponent in La Liga defeating top sides like Sevilla and Betis.
Conclusion
Almeria will be looking to build on the Santiago Bernabeu performance and get their 1st win of the season. Although Alaves seems to be the perfect victim, the visitors proved they can compete against La Liga’s top sides. An open match with goals being scored at both ends is what we are backing.
Verdict: BTTS
Best odds: 1.83
Bookmaker: ZetBet
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