La Liga: Real Madrid Must Take Shorthanded Alaves Seriously

Alaves vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s bid for trophies is slowly slipping away. After losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup last January, Los Blancos are in danger of getting eliminated from the Copa del Rey and Champions League, and they’re falling behind Barcelona in La Liga.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men are second in the Spanish top-flight standings with 63 points, four points adrift of Barcelona. After losing 2-1 against Valencia last Saturday, they suffered a 3-0 capitulation against Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals tie. Given what they’ve been through, a road win against Alaves will temporarily cure their ills.

Alaves are fighting to maintain their top-flight membership. Los Blanquiazules are 17th in the standings with 30 points and are coming off a 1-0 win against Girona.

​There’s so much at stake for this contest at the Mendizorrotza Stadium. Check out our SBOTOP preview below.

 

Talking Points

Key absences for Alaves

After finishing 10th in the La Liga table last season, Alaves are having war flashbacks because they’re in the relegation battle alongside Leganes, Las Palmas, and Valladolid. Los Blanquiazules hit this low under Luis Garcia, and the club replaced Garcia with Eduardo Coudet last December.

Coudet’s first game at the helm saw his team lose to Minera – a Segunda Federacion side – in the Copa del Rey second round via penalties. However, since then, Alaves accrued 16 points (W3, D7, L5) – which is already more than his predecessor.

Kike Garcia has been the key figure in the team’s upward trajectory. The 35-year-old striker leads Alaves in scoring with 11 league goals. Carlos Vicente, Joan Jordan, and Toni Martinez are the joint-second leading scorers with four league goals each. Vicente is their top playmaker with four assists.

Antonio Sivera also deserves plaudits between the sticks. The 28-year-old goalkeeper has six clean sheets this season. However, he is ruled out against Real Madrid due to a suspension alongside Tomas Conechny and Jon Guridi after picking up yellow cards in their recent victory against Girona.

 

Real Madrid’s war of attrition

Carlo Ancelotti is in the hot seat because Real Madrid are underperforming this season. Many believe Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso could take over if Los Blancos sacked the Italian international.

It’s unfair to blame Ancelotti since the team has been dogged by injuries all season. Against Alaves, at least four key players are out, with Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Eder Militao, and Dani Carvajal still in the medical room. Ancelotti hopes Ceballos is fit enough this weekend. The former Arsenal man has been out since February with a leg injury.

Ancelotti can rest or rotate his squad. But, if they’ll beat Alaves, it’ll likely be on the back of solid shifts from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham.

 

History

Real Madrid outlasted Alaves in a five-goal thriller during their reverse fixture last September. Los Blancos went up 3-0 when Lucas Vazquez, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodrygo scored goals before the 50th minute, but Los Blanquiazules almost came back when Carlos Protesoni and Kike Garcia scored late.

Alaves have only won four of their 37 matches against Real Madrid in La Liga (D2, L31), though two of those have come in their last 11 meetings against Los Blancos. Their last win in this fixture was a 2-1 result in November 2020 under Pablo Machin.

Real Madrid have won their last four games against Alaves at the Mendizorrotza Stadium and could become only the second team in history to win five straight after Osasuna between 2006 and 2023 (W6).

However, Los Blancos are not in their best form based on their lofty standards, losing three of their last nine La Liga matches (W4, D2), which is the same number of defeats as in their previous 62 (W46, D13, L3).

 

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2025 odds favour Real Madrid to stop their slide against Alaves. Los Blancos are at 1.66 odds to win, whereas Los Blanquiazules are 4.55 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.59 in the 1X2 market. 

Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also go for options like Over 2.50 at 1.79, Over 2.75 at 2.03, Over 3.00 at 2.38, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 3.09 since both teams are expected to be in the La Liga 2025 highlights reel this week. Total Goals 2-3 at 2.00 is also viable for the more conservative route. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 3-2 in favour of Carlo Ancelotti’s side – the result of their last encounter – can give you a massive payday of 25.00 your bet.

   

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