Alaves vs Athletic Club Preview

La Liga returns on Friday as Alavés welcome Athletic Club to the Estadio Mendizorrotza for the sixth game of the 2023/24 season.

The hosts have made a steady start to the new campaign by alternating between wins and losses in their first five games (W2, L3). They opened with a loss to Cadiz but have beaten Sevilla and Valencia–the most recent coming just before the international break.

But their first match back after the international break saw them downed 2-0 by Rayo Vallecano, making it three defeats on the road without scoring. And so, a return home to the Mendizorrotza will be most welcome for this local derby against Athletic Bilbao.

After being promoted back to La Liga at the first time of asking via the play-offs last season, they are battling to ensure they stay above the red line early.

Their perfect start on home soil this season will have boosted confidence that their latest league campaign won’t end in relegation. However, they need to make this venue a fortress over the coming months, and taking three wins from their first three games here will go a long way in ensuring that they are taken seriously at home.

Luis García’s side are currently 14 unbeaten at home (W9, D5) and haven’t lost to rivals Bilbao here since May 2003 (W4, D3 since) – an undefeated streak they’ll be desperate to extend even further.

Bilbao are proving a tough nut to crack this season, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Girona the only teams sitting above them in the La Liga standings after matchday five.

After opening the season with a 2-0 home loss to Real Madrid, their dominant 3-0 home win against Cadiz last Saturday extended their unbeaten run to four league outings (W3, D1).

However, Ernesto Valverde’s side tends to struggle on the road, with Athletic’s 0-0 draw with Mallorca in their last away game making it just one victory across their last six league away trips (D3, L2).

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Spanish Primera Liga:

Spanish Primera Liga Table