Villarreal vs Alaves prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-10-21 16:30.
New Villarreal boss Pacheta likely spent much of the international break in front of the drawing board, as the Yellow Submarine have shown no signs of surfacing since his appointment. A run of just one win in five La Liga (LL) matches since replacing Quique Setién (D2, L2) has hardly endeared Pacheta to the home faithful, with the most chastening result in that sequence coming in their last outing courtesy of a 2-1 home defeat to newly-promoted Las Palmas!
Home is far from where the heart is of late, with Villarreal losing four of their last five LL matches at Estadio de la Cerámica (W1), including each of the last two. They now risk losing three consecutive league matches on home soil for the first time since May 1999, and that miserable fate could become reality if they don’t shore up their defence, as Villarreal have conceded 15 LL goals this term – only the bottom two have let in more ahead of this round.
The visit of fellow strugglers Deportivo AlavĂ©s could provide Villarreal with an opportunity to return to the winners’ circle, as the visitors continue to endure a torrid start to life back in Spain’s highest division, after a five-match winless streak (D2, L3) in which they managed just a total of two goals. Manager Luis GarcĂa praised their defending in a 1-1 draw with Real Betis before the international break, but lamented that they are “always missing the last shot or last pass to score”.
Their troubles won’t be solved until they find a solution for their travel sickness. Alavés are winless in 19 consecutive LL away matches (D4, L15), while their solitary goal scored on the road this term is unsurprisingly the lowest return in the division. None of that bodes well as they gear up to visit Villarreal, a team they’ve lost three successive away matches to, conceding 12 goals and scoring just four in the process!
Players to watch: New striker Alexander Sørloth has been a shining light in the Villarreal darkness this term, scoring four of their 11 LL goals, three of which arrived before half-time. On-loan youngster Samu Omorodion is the only Alavés player to score since August, while he was also on target over the international break for the Spanish under-21 side.
Hot stat: Villarreal are the only LL side yet to lead a game at half-time this season.