Alaves will be bidding to make it back-to-back wins in La Liga for just the second time this season when they welcome Celta Vigo to Mendizorrotza Stadium on Monday night.
The hosts are currently 17th in the La Liga table, picking up just 20 points from their opening 20 matches of the campaign, while Celta are 13th, five points above the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Alaves recorded a standout win over Real Betis last time out, beating Manuel Pellegrini's side 3-1 in Seville, with Kike Garcia scoring three times for Eduardo Coudet's side.
The victory moved the Basque outfit onto 20 points, boasting a record of five wins, five draws and 10 defeats from their 20 matches this season, which has left them one point outside of the relegation zone.
Alaves are actually the highest scorers in the bottom six, finding the back of the net on 24 occasions, but they have conceded 32, and their defensive record will need to improve if they are to stay in the division.
The Blue and Whites have won three, drawn three and lost three of their nine league matches in front of their own fans this season, scoring nine times, and they will be welcoming a Celta side that have only won one of their nine league games on their travels during the 2024-25 campaign.
Alaves recorded a 3-0 victory in the corresponding match last season, but Celta were 2-1 winners when the two teams locked horns in the opening matchday of the current campaign.
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Celta have dominated the recent meetings between the two sides, winning six of their last eight encounters in the top flight of Spanish football.
The Sky Blues will enter this match off the back of three straight defeats, though, losing to Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao in La Liga either side of a 5-2 reverse to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
Claudio Giraldez's side have a record of seven wins, three draws and 10 defeats from their 20 league matches this season, which has left them in 13th spot in the table on 24 points.
Celta have been an entertaining watch in Spain's top flight this season, finding the back of the net on 29 occasions, but they have also conceded 32, which is the same as their opponents on Monday night.
Giraldez's team are only actually five points clear of the relegation zone, so they will be looking over their shoulder at a vital stage of the campaign, and this is an extremely important match towards the bottom of the division.
Team News
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Alaves will be without the services of Antonio Blanco due to a suspension, while Antonio Sivera will again be unavailable for selection due to a hand injury.
Carlos Martin and Joan Jordan both face late fitness tests, with the duo again unavailable against Real Betis.
Due to the manner of the performance last time out, it is expected to be a similar side for this match, with Kike Garcia, fresh from his hat trick last time, leading the line for Alaves.
As for Celta, Oscar Mingueza is suspended, but Marcos Alonso will be available, with the ex-Barcelona defender serving his ban in the team's last match.
Alfon Gonzalez is definitely out with a thigh problem, while Jonathan Bamba, Jailson, Iago Aspas and Tadeo Allende face late fitness tests.
Borja Iglesias will again lead the line for Celta, while Pablo Duran is set to feature off the right, with Sergio Carreira featuring in a wing-back position for the Sky Blues.
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Owono; Tenaglia, Abqar, Diarra, Sanchez; Benavidez, Guevara; Vicente, Guridi, Conechny; Kike Garcia
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Guaita; J Rodriguez, Lago, Alonso; Carreira, Beltran, Sotelo, Cervi; Duran, Iglesias, Swedberg
We say: Alaves 1-1 Celta Vigo
Celta have really struggled on their travels this season, losing seven of their nine matches, but Alaves have been unconvincing at home for most of the campaign, and we are expecting a tight match to finish level on Monday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
