Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the La Liga match.
Sevilla will spend the upcoming seasons trying to regain their lost standing, while Deportivo Alavés can be considered a direct competitor of the former Europa League champions. Alavés have even accumulated two more points than Sevilla in the first five rounds, sitting in the upper part of the table.
Deportivo Alavés
The setback against Espanyol (2:3) revealed that Alavés struggle with playing open football, allowing opponents to create numerous chances. In Catalonia, they were better in terms of possession and attempts on goal (19-9 shots, 62-38% possession), but this did not lead to victory — they need to focus on defence again. The team fell short by more than two expected goals (7 actual goals from 9.12 xG) — only four clubs have worse finishing.
Sevilla
Sevilla are one of the weakest attacking participants in La Liga, with just 4 goals from 6.41 xG. Against Getafe (1:0), they truly struggled towards the end: they snatched three points, but a foolish red card for Juan Sánchez due to simulation, coupled with injuries to Peque Fernández and Marcos Teixeira “Marcão”, leaves the coach with limited options. Saúl Ñíguez returns to the squad, but Benoît Badiashile, Albert Lokonga, and Jesús Fernández “Suso” will continue to recover.
Deportivo Alavés vs Sevilla Prediction
In the past campaign, Deportivo Alavés defeated Sevilla twice in high-scoring matches (4:3 and 3:2), but under the current coaching staff, Sevilla will play a more disciplined game defensively. Moreover, the hosts will learn from their previous match and pay close attention to their defence. This new La Liga round will begin with a low-scoring game.
