Villarreal visit Alavés in the fight for fourth place after the postponed match against Espanyol
A tough test at Mendizorroza. The Yellows will test their impressive away form at Deportivo Alavés’ home ground. A good result in Vitoria would keep the Submarine in the race for fourth place, after Monday’s postponed match against RCD Espanyol.
In their last game, Marcelino’s side beat Rayo Vallecano by the narrowest of margins thanks to an Ayoze Pérez header, which saw the Yellows take the win (0-1). With this victory, Villarreal CF opened up a considerable points gap over their main pursuers.
The impressive away records make the Submarine the second best away team, behind only FC Barcelona. The Yellow Submarine, who have performed better away from Vila-real this season than at the Estadio de la Cerámica, hope to continue their impressive form.
The home side come into the game in a complicated situation. Immersed in the relegation battle, they need to get three points in front of their fans to move out of the bottom three and get closer to the goal of survival.
The first leg was the match after the tragic flooding that struck Valencia. The Yellows, dressed all in black, thrashed their opponents (3-0) led by Ilias Akhomach, who had to leave the field after tearing his ACL.
Mendizorrtza is not a great ground for the Submarine
Historically, this is not one of Villarreal’s favourite grounds. They have only managed four wins in their 14 visits there, in the top two tiers. They have a record of two defeats and a draw in their last three visits to Alaves.
The last win at this venue dates back to that last-gasp victory with a brilliant goal by Fernando Niño in his first appearance with the first team. The striker, at the time a Villarreal C player, emerged in the top flight by scoring the winning goal (1-2) in the 89th minute.
The fight to be the leading Spanish striker
The match between Alavés and Villarreal will also feature an interesting duel of strikers. Kike García vs Ayoze Pérez. Both strikers are in the middle of a battle for the Zarra Trophy, which is given to Spanish player with most goals at the end of the season. Both have scored 11 times and are the main contenders to Oihan Sancet, who, with 13 goals, leads this ranking of Spanish strikers.
Kike and Ayoze. Two completely different strikers. The physical presence and the finishing ability of the striker from La Mancha against the magic and the playfulness of the attacker from the Canary Islands. A beautiful duel that will be one of the main attractions not to miss the match in Mendizorroza.
