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Villarreal are back in action in La Liga this week as they take on Deportivo Alaves in an important mid-week fixture at the Mendizorroza Stadium on Wednesday. Villarreal have been excellent this season and hold the upper hand going into this match.
Deportivo Alaves currently find themselves in 16th place in the La Liga standings and face an intense relegation battle in the coming months. The Basque outfit edged SD Huesca to a 1-0 victory over the weekend and will want a similar result from this match.
Villarreal, on the other hand, are in fifth place in the league table at the moment and are leading the race to qualify for the UEFA Europa League this year. The Yellow Submarines thrashed Levante by a 5-1 margin in their previous game and will be confident ahead of this fixture.
Deportivo Alaves vs Villarreal Head-to-Head
Deportivo Alaves and Villarreal are on a surprisingly even footing as far as the head-to-head record is concerned and have won five games apiece out of a total of 11 matches played between the two teams.
The reverse fixture between the two teams took place in September last year and ended in a comfortable 3-1 victory for Villarreal. Paco Alcacer was exceptional on the day and will want to make his mark on this fixture.
Deportivo Alaves form guide in La Liga: W-D-L-L-D
Villarreal form guide in La Liga: W-L-W-W-W
Also Read: Levante vs Sevilla prediction, preview, team news and more | La Liga 2020-21
Deportivo Alaves vs Villarreal Team News
Deportivo Alaves
Rodrigo Ely is currently ruled out with an injury for Deportivo Alaves and remains his side's only fitness concern. The Basque outfit is unlikely to make drastic changes to its team for this match.
Injured: Rodrigo Ely
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Villarreal
With Vicente Iborra injured for this game, Manu Trigueros and Etienne Capoue will have to do much of the heavy lifting for Villarreal in the midfield. Pervis Estupinan is yet to recover from his niggle and might not feature in this match.
Injured: Vicente Iborra
Doubtful: Pervis Estupinan
Suspended: None
Deportivo Alaves vs Villarreal Predicted XI
Deportivo Alaves (4-4-2): Fernando Pacheco; Ruben Duarte, Florian Lejeune, Victor Laguardia, Ximo Navarro; Pere Pons, Tomas Pina, Rodrigo Battaglia, Jota; Joselu, Lucas Perez
Villarreal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Sergio Asenjo; Jaume Costa, Pau Torres, Raul Albiol, Juan Foyth; Etienne Capoue, Manu Trigueros, Dani Parejo; Gerard Moreno, Paco Alcacer, Ruben Pena
Deportivo Alaves vs Villarreal Prediction
Villarreal have been a force to reckon with under Unai Emery and will be intent on proving a point this week. The likes of Gerard Moreno and Paco Alcacer can be lethal on their day and will likely lead the line for their side on Wednesday.
Deportivo Alaves will have to work hard to avoid relegation this season and have plenty of work to do ahead of this match. Villarreal are the better team at the moment, however, and should be able to win this fixture.
Prediction: Deportivo Alaves 0-2 Villarreal
Also Read: Atletico Madrid vs SD Eibar prediction, preview, team news and more | La Liga 2020-21
