La Liga: Alaves to Prove They’re No Fluke Against Real Madrid

Alaves vs Real Madrid

Alaves are in trouble and they will look to turn things around when they host defending La Liga champions Real Madrid at the Mendizorroza.

With only 18 points, El Glorioso are currently 17^th in the Spanish top-flight standings, which puts them in a precarious position since they have one foot in the relegation zone.

Despite their dire state, it seems that Alaves are coming into this game with some confidence given what has happened in their reverse fixture few months ago.

It can be remembered that Alaves notched one of the biggest upsets in this 2020/21 season when they won 2-1 on the road versus Los Blancos, and they are hopeful that they can do it again this time around.

However, the memory remains fresh for Real Madrid and they will come in hungrier than ever, making this a tall task for El Glorioso.

Real Madrid are sitting behind league leaders Atletico Madrid at second with 37 points and a victory here would help keep their repeat bid alive.

Talking Points

Alaves need a miracle

Alaves were in the La Liga 2021 news recently when they fired Pablo Machin and brought back Abelardo Fernandez in a deal good for until the end of the season.

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Fernandez is no longer new to Alaves as he was their manager back from 2017 to 2019. His previous managerial stint was for Espanyol last season, but he was unable to steer them away from relegation.

Although it is not yet clear on what Fernandez can do to change their fortunes, one key facet that they need to focus on improving is their attack.

Since their win over Los Blancos, the goals have dried up for Alaves. They were scoreless in three straight fixtures after that and they have only punched in two goals in only one occasion.

Leading scorer Lucas Perez has yet to open his account for 2021. He only has four goals and two assists under his belt and that number has to go up in order for them to have a chance.

Edgar Mendez and Joselu are also viable attacking threats for Alaves, but their moments of brilliance have only come few and far between.

Real Madrid cannot afford to suffer another upset

Despite enjoying an unbeaten run here in La Liga, Los Blancos’ form has been shaky this past week.

They were booted out of the Supercopa de Espana semis by eventual champions Athletic Bilbao, and they were also eliminated by Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey Round of 32.

Along with their lacklustre results, Zinedine Zidane and co. were also busy in the ongoing transfer window.

Recognising that their defence needs some tweaking, they went out to get David Alaba from Bayern Munich and he is expected to bolster their backline soon.

Zinedine Zidane's men are currently sitting on the second spot of La Liga table with four points behind Atletico Madrid — Zinedine Zidane coaching Real Madrid during their match against Osasuna

Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard has submitted a transfer request since he isn’t getting enough exposure that he needs.

For the meantime, Zinedine Zidane will continue to lean on their old reliables for this match.

Karim Benzema, who was rested against Alcoyano, will start out front for Real Madrid. And Eder Militao might be given an extended run given his encouraging performance in the last time out.

History

History favours Real Madrid for this weekend’s match.

In the 19 matches they’ve faced each other, Los Blancos have the significant edge in the head-to-heads with 15 wins, while Alaves have only won thrice along with one draw.

In their previous encounter last November, Alaves caught Real Madrid off guard when they had a quick goal in the fifth minute.

Nacho’s handball paved the way for Lucas Perez to fire in Alaves’ first goal of the night and then Joselu doubled their lead when Thibaut Courtois misplaced his pass in the 49^th minute.

Casemiro scored a goal in the 86^th minute, but it was too late for Real Madrid.

Betting Tip

	Alaves vs Real Madrid	Real Madrid Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 1.70
	January 24, 04:00 (GMT+8)

The defending La Liga champions are the heavy favourites here at SBOTOP to win this upcoming contest.

The La Liga 2021 odds in the 1X2 market have Real Madrid priced at 1.41 to win, while Alaves are placed below at 7.00 and a draw is only at 4.60.

While Alaves have proven that they can spring an upset from time to time, many pundits have considered their last win over Los Blancos as just a one-off.

Real Madrid obviously have a lot more firepower. And with some of their key players rested, there’s no doubt that Los Blancos will take care of business on the road.