Alaves – Real Sociedad
The Estadio de Mendizorroza will be a nerve center on Wednesday evening: Alavés is stuck in 18th place in the table, with just one point separating Eduardo Coudet’s team from safety. After the 1-1 draw in Seville, however, optimism was in short supply. Defensively, the loss of Abqar weighs heavily, alternatives are few and far between, and recent performances have been anything but stable. Opposite them is Real Sociedad, who continue to fight for the last European spot after their 2-2 draw in Villarreal. Imanol Alguacil’s team is in ninth place, just one point behind eighth, and can rely on the accurate Oyarzabal and the return of Zubimendi – despite a depleted squad. The last direct encounters were mostly close, with Alavés surprisingly winning 2-1 in San Sebastián. Nuances could decide the outcome again this time.
Alaves – Real Sociedad Info
- Venue: Estadio de Mendizorroza, Vitoria-Gasteiz
- Date and time: 23.04.2025, 21:30
- Competition: La Liga (Matchday 33)
Alaves form & record check
31 points, 18th place – Alavés is in the midst of a relegation battle. They have picked up just three points from their last five league games: a 1-0 win in Girona, two draws (1-1 in Seville, 2-2 at Las Palmas) and two home defeats, including a sobering 2-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano. Observers criticized the team’s lack of punch; in four of the last five games, they scored no more than one goal. At the same time, the Basques always conceded at least one goal, but mostly kept the total number of goals below 2.5 – caution prevails. The absence of Abqar and the suspension of Manu Sánchez force changes, with Moussa Diarra moving into the back four. The pattern: lots of effort, little efficiency.
Coudet is likely to stick with his tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1 formation. Sedlar and Diarra will replace the absent Abqar and Sánchez in defense, while Duarte and Gorosabel will defend the flanks. Guridi, Aleñá, and Vicente García will play in front of the double pivot of Blanco and Jordán. The coach has little room for experimentation – the static defense remains a cause for concern.
Real Sociedad form & record check
Real Sociedad travel to Villarreal in ninth place with 42 points and their sights set on Europe. The 2-2 draw in Villarreal was emblematic: Oyarzabal scored twice, but the team’s defense was shaky once again. La Real have scored in each of their last five games, but they have also conceded at least one goal in each of those games, with four of those games seeing over 2.5 goals scored. Zubimendi’s return stabilizes the center, but the absences of Becker, Zubeldia, and Odriozola thin out the squad. In a table where one point can mean several places, Alguacil’s team urgently needs defensive organization to prevent its offensive momentum from fizzling out.
Alguacil is also unlikely to make any changes: 4-1-4-1 with Remiro in goal, Traoré, Elustondo, Muñoz and Martín in front of him. Zubimendi returns to the six, Marín and Sučić take over the center, Kubo and Gómez come in on the wings. Up front, Oyarzabal is expected to continue his run. The injury list (Zubeldia, Odriozola, Zakharyan, Becker doubtful) means that young players will have to step up from the bench, with Brais Méndez remaining the wild card option.
H2H Alaves – Real Sociedad Head-to-head & statistics
In the last five head-to-head matches since 2022, neither side has ever been behind at halftime – the score has always been level at the break. Four of the games have seen fewer than 2.5 goals, but Real Sociedad has always scored, while Alavés has found the net at least once. The Basques from Vitoria won only the most recent league duel (2-1 away). Whoever scores the first goal this time could once again have the decisive advantage.
