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Alaves logo
La Liga | Gameweek 38
May 22, 2022 at 7pm UK
Mendizorroza, Vitoria, Basque Country
Cadiz logo

Alaves
0 - 1
Cadiz

FT(HT: 0-0)
Lozano (76')
Hernandez (27')

Preview: Alaves vs. Cadiz - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's La Liga clash between Alaves and Cadiz, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

The battle for survival in La Liga goes to the final day on Sunday, with Cadiz one of the teams in danger at the wrong end of the table.

They travel to face Alaves at the Estadio de Mendizorroza, who saw their relegation out of the top flight confirmed last weekend.


Match preview

 Alaves' Victor Laguardia celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on September 25, 2021© Reuters

Defeat at already-relegated Levante saw Alaves' drop out of La Liga confirmed last Sunday, despite taking a first-half lead at the Ciudad de Valencia.

Former Newcastle United striker Joselu, one of the few bright sparks of their disappointing campaign, was who provided them with the crucial advantage, with what was his 14th league goal of the season.

A poor display saw Babazorros El Glorioso collapse under severe pressure from their opponents in the second 45, and their misery was compounded when Gonzalo Escalante saw red for a second yellow card deep into stoppage time.

Therefore, very little is left to play for on Sunday for Julio Velazquez's side, although the boss will be hopeful that his side can leapfrog Levante on the final day to avoid a last-placed finish.

Despite last weekend's heartbreaking relegation, Sunday's hosts will be confident that they can achieve all three points in front of their own supporters, as long as their mindset is in the right place.

Three consecutive victories have been recorded at the Estadio de Mendizorroza, which had given Alaves a glimmer of hope in their survival bid, and with seven of their eight La Liga wins this campaign arriving on home soil, it has certainly not been their form there that has caused them to drop out of the top flight.

Cadiz's Lucas Perez celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on April 18, 2022© Reuters

Meanwhile, Cadiz will be hoping to avoid the same fate as their hosts when they make the trip there on Sunday.

A 1-1 draw at home to champions Real Madrid was not enough to prevent Sergio Gonzalez's side from dropping into the bottom three last weekend though, with fellow strugglers Mallorca leapfrogging them thanks to a 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano.

An inferior head-to-head record with Los Piratas means that Cadiz must better their result on the final day in order to survive, with Mallorca travelling to ninth-placed Osasuna.

Gonzalez will be looking for his side to focus on their own game though, with results elsewhere out of their control, and if they can perform as they have done in recent months, he will be confident that they can come away happy on Sunday.

Although only four wins have been achieved across their last 11 league outings, the form marks a considerable improvement on much of the campaign, and when taking into account the calibre of their recent opposition, their progress is clear to see.

Each of the division's top eight have been faced during that recent spell, so a return of 15 points can be considered a healthy return for Gonzalez's men, but all that matters on Sunday is picking up three more to provide them with the best chance of avoiding the drop.

Alaves La Liga form:
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L

Cadiz La Liga form:
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • D


Team News

Deportivo Alaves' Gonzalo Escalante celebrates scoring their first goal on April 2, 2022© Reuters

Escalante's red card last time out means that the midfielder is ruled out of the final game of the season for Alaves on Sunday.

Mamadou Loum returns from a one-match suspension of his own however, and the on-loan Porto man could slot in for Escalante at the base of the midfield.

Other than the injured John Guidetti, Velazquez looks to have no more absentees to contend with though, with a near-full-strength squad to select from.

As for the visitors, full-back Carlos Akapo has been ruled out of the crucial trip after being forced off with a foot injury against Real last weekend.

Varazdat Haroyan is the only other absentee as things stand though, with the central defender being unavailable due to a shoulder problem that has kept him sidelined for the last two months.

On a positive note for Gonzalez, Fede San Emeterio and Ivan Alejo look to have recovered from injuries to allow them to return to the matchday squad on Sunday.

Alaves possible starting lineup:
Pacheco; Navarro, Laguardia, Lejeune, Duarte; Pons, Loum; Mendez, De la Fuente, Rioja; Joselu

Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Hernandez, Fali, Espino; Sobrino, Fernandez, Alcaraz, Idrissi; Perez, Negredo


SM words green background

We say: Alaves 1-2 Cadiz

The potential outcome of this huge game in La Liga depends significantly on the character of the Alaves side following their confirmed relegation last weekend.

Should the hosts come out with plenty of hunger to finish positively, they could well pick up a result following their excellent home form, but should the visitors outmatch their desire to win, they could well earn the crucial three points required to potentially see them through to safety.


For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


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Game History

How you voted: Alaves vs Cadiz

Alaves
16.7%
Draw
11.9%
Cadiz
71.4%
42
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Real Sociedad124351010015
11GironaGirona124351517-215
12Sevilla124351217-515
13Celta Vigo114161720-313
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe1117389-110
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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