In-depth Analysis
Villarreal have shown fairly positive form in recent weeks, winning three of their last four matches. Their only defeat during that stretch was a heavy 1-4 loss to league leaders Barcelona. Looking at the season as a whole, the “Yellow Submarine” have still enjoyed a fairly impressive campaign, currently sitting fourth in La Liga after 27 rounds.
With such consistent performances, Villarreal have every reason to feel confident heading into this weekend’s away trip to Alaves, even though they have actually won just one of their last six away matches in all competitions. Even so, based on both squad quality and current form, Alaves do not appear to be a particularly daunting challenge for Marcelino’s side.
On the other side, Alaves are clearly struggling. They are currently on a six-match winless run in La Liga, having suffered four defeats and managed only two draws. Most recently, they lost 2-3 away to Valencia. That poor sequence has left Alaves down in 16th place in the table, only two points above the relegation zone.
Still fighting to pull away from the drop zone, Alaves will surely try to make full use of their home advantage in hopes of taking at least a point against Villarreal. However, that will not be an easy task, especially considering their underwhelming home form. Specifically, Alaves have failed to win any of their last three home matches, losing two of them.
Alaves’ biggest issue lies in their fragile defense. This is clearly reflected in the fact that they have conceded at least two goals in five of their last six matches. Against an opponent with attacking firepower like Villarreal, such defensive vulnerability could prove fatal. If they perform to their usual level, the “Yellow Submarine” are fully capable of leaving Alaves with all three points.