🏏 Fri, 28 Aug 2026 21:30 CEST
Deportivo Alavés
vs
Villarreal CF
5-3-2 vs 4-4-2
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Alaves sit fifth after two rounds and host 11th-placed Villarreal at Mendizorroza. A 3-0 home rout of Getafe on matchday one was followed by a 1-1 draw away at Rayo Vallecano, leaving Deportivo on four points with four scored and just one conceded. Their +3 goal difference is bettered only by leaders Barcelona, who are on six points, meaning a home win would close the gap on the summit.
- Villarreal are still searching for a first win of the campaign. They drew 2-2 away at Racing Santander and then 2-2 away at Atletico Madrid, identical scorelines that left them 11th on two points with four goals scored and four conceded. This is their third consecutive away fixture to open the season, so the Yellow Submarine badly need a road result to steady things.
- The shape battle pits Alaves' 5-3-2 against Villarreal's 4-4-2, which gives the hosts a three-versus-two edge in central midfield. Antonio Blanco, 26, a Real Madrid Castilla graduate who established himself after a loan at Cadiz, screens alongside Pablo Ibanez, 27, a product of the Osasuna academy known for his ball-winning. Villarreal counter with size: 189cm Senegal international Pape Gueye and Santi Comesana, who racked up 219 appearances across seven seasons at Rayo Vallecano.
- There is a reunion on both benches and on the pitch. Villarreal right-back Sofiane Mourinho, 24, previously played for Alaves and returns to a familiar stadium, having also spent time at Atletico Madrid and Zaragoza. Among the Alaves substitutes is Denis Suarez, 30, a former Villarreal man whose CV also includes Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester City and Sevilla, and whose passing range makes him a natural game-changer late on.
- Villarreal's strike pairing offers contrasting profiles. Georgia international Georges Mikautadze, 25, arrived via Metz, Ajax and Lyon and made his name with a prolific EURO 2024 in which he challenged for the Golden Boot, running the channels with pace. Beside him is 34-year-old captain Gerard Moreno, a club legend whose left foot has produced more than 120 La Liga goals and who was central to their Europa League triumph.
- The Alaves back five is an international mix. Finland centre-back Ville Koski, 24, on loan from Croatian side Istra 1961 and a former Finland U21 captain, anchors the middle, with Argentine Nahuel Tenaglia, 30, a mainstay at Talleres before moving to Spain, on the right. Wide of them are two-footed veteran Jony, 32, a survivor of spells at Celta, Atletico Madrid, Wolves and PAOK, and Vitoria-raised Moroccan Abdelkabir Rebbach.
- Up front the hosts go direct. Lucas Boye, 30, a Copa Libertadores winner with River Plate who has also played for Torino, Celta, Elche and Granada, leads the press, while 187cm Toni Martinez, 29, a target man after four years at Porto, holds the ball up. Their duel is with Juan Foyth, the 28-year-old Argentina defender who helped win the 2021 Europa League after leaving Tottenham, and Portugal's Renato Veiga, 25, signed from Chelsea for a club-record fee.
- Out wide, Nicolas Pepe remains the eye-catcher. The 31-year-old Ivory Coast winger, once an 80m euro club-record signing for Arsenal after starring at Lille and later playing for Nice and Trabzonspor, cuts inside onto his left foot at every opportunity. On the opposite flank Canada's Tajon Buchanan, 27, brings the explosive acceleration he showed at Club Brugge and Inter, testing how high the Alaves wing-backs dare to push.
- Both benches carry weight. Villarreal can call on Ayoze Perez, 33, a Premier League veteran of Newcastle and Leicester who scored 19 goals in his first season at the club, plus La Masia-schooled Morocco winger Ilias Akhomach, 22, and Alberto Moleiro, 22, who broke into the Las Palmas first team at 17. Alaves answer with Barcelona academy playmaker Carles Alena, 28, and homegrown midfielder Guevara, 29, a Copa del Rey winner with Real Sociedad.
- The goalkeeping contrast is worth watching too. Alaves trust Sivera, 30, a Valencia academy product renowned for close-range reflex saves, while Villarreal field 194cm Brazilian Luiz Junior, 25, whom they signed from Famalicao as their most expensive goalkeeper ever. Waiting in reserve is Hungary's Peter Gulacsi, 36, who made over 360 appearances for RB Leipzig including 296 Bundesliga games with 96 clean sheets.