Alaves Look to Punish a Winless Malaga Side Desperate for a Result
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
Friday night football in La Liga. Deportivo Alaves at home. Málaga arriving without a win in their last five. The thing is, sometimes the data sheet just tells you what your eyes already know. This is a match between a side building momentum and one searching for anything resembling a result.
Alaves: Going in the Right Direction
Alaves go into this one having won their last two La Liga matches. That is the headline. Two wins on the bounce tells you a group that has found something, whether that is organisation, desire, or simply a bit of confidence in the final third.
Look at the evidence. Alaves beat Osasuna 5-2 and followed it up with a 1-0 win over Villarreal. Five goals in one match tells you there is attacking intent. A clean sheet against Villarreal tells you they can also dig in and defend properly when the occasion demands it. That is a side with something about them.
They have kept clean sheets in two of their last five La Liga matches. In 40 percent of those five games, both teams have scored. So they are not a side that simply parks the bus. They compete. They attack. And right now, they are doing it with a bit of swagger.
The injury situation is worth noting. Alaves have two players absent. One has a minor injury. The other is a more significant absence, a moderate injury with an expected return date of May 2027. That second one is a long-term concern, but it will not derail a Friday night home fixture against a side in this form.
Málaga: No Wins, No Goals, No Conviction
Listen, zero wins in five La Liga matches is a problem. Not a talking point. Not a concern. A genuine problem. Málaga's recent run reads: draw, loss, loss, draw, draw. Three draws and two defeats. They have not beaten anyone in this sample.
The goals tell the story too. Three scored. Six conceded. In five matches. The thing is, you cannot accept that as a group of professional footballers. Six goals against in five games with no wins to show for it is unacceptable. That is basics not being met. That is a defensive unit that is not competing hard enough when it matters.
Málaga have kept just one clean sheet in their last five La Liga matches. Their most recent outing saw them draw 1-1 with Espanyol. Before that, a 0-1 loss to Getafe and a 1-3 defeat to Villarreal. They are leaking goals and not scoring enough to compensate. That is a very simple problem with a very painful solution if it continues.
The Verdict
Alaves at home. Two wins on the spin. A defence that can hold a clean sheet. Against a Málaga side that has not won in five and continues to give up goals.
The thing is, home advantage in a match like this is not decorative. It matters. Alaves have shown they can punish weaker opposition, as the 5-2 win over Osasuna proved. Málaga's defensive record suggests they will give the home side opportunities.
I am backing Alaves to win this. No accumulator. No clever combination. One selection, backed with conviction. Alaves win. End of.