Villarreal vs Alaves Preview

Villarreal showed some character when they beat Espanyol 0-1 away from home in their last league game.  They had been beaten 2-1 by newly-promoted Osasuna just before the International break and needed a response which they provided.

They were helped by a series of fine saves from goalkeeper Asenjo in that game and they will now be looking to build on that in this home game.

The home side comes into this game 7th in the league table but they can get into the top four should they manage a win here and they may get an extended stay should the other games’ results go their way.

They have an impressive home form that makes it easy to see another win for them in this game.  They have not lost any of their last 9 games at home – a run that includes a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid and a 5-1 win over Real Betis.

Ironically, the last time Villarreal lost a home game, Alaves were their visitors and the visitors have won the last three head-to-head games between these sides with all those games ending in a 2-1 scoreline each time.

It wouldn’t make so much sense to read a lot of meaning into the two meetings between these sides last season as Villarreal had one of their worst seasons ever.

While the home side has improved drastically this season, the visitors can’t seem to buy a win at the moment and it will be interesting to see if they can get their second away point of the season here.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Spanish Primera:

Spanish Primera Table

Spanish Primera Results