Alaves v Malaga

The honeymoon is officially over at Estadio de Mendizorroza. After rocketing out of the gates with ten points from their first four matches, Quique Sanchez Flores and his Deportivo Alaves squad have hit a brick wall. Winless in their last five and reeling from consecutive 2-1 defeats to Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid, the Babazorros need an immediate lifeline to keep their European aspirations from evaporating. Currently sitting seventh, Alaves have a golden opportunity to stop the bleeding in front of their home supporters, but the pressure is entirely on them to deliver.

Enter Malaga, a team carrying the heaviest baggage in Spain right now. Juan Francisco Funes and his newly promoted side are anchored to the bottom of the table with just four points and zero wins through nine matches. They arrive in the Basque Country fresh off a brutal 5-2 dismantling by Real Sociedad, exposing a fragile backline that has already leaked 18 goals this campaign. Yet, despite the defensive chaos, forward Adrian Nino has shown flashes of lethality, reminding the league that the Andalusians still have a pulse.

The stakes are glaring for both clubs. For Alaves, Lucas Boye and the attack must exploit Malaga's well-documented set-piece vulnerability to restore the locker room's confidence and protect their top-half status. For Malaga, the narrative is pure survival. Claiming a gritty three points on the road could be the exact spark needed to ignite their relegation fight before the gap grows insurmountable. Neither side can afford to walk away empty-handed, setting the stage for a deeply tense Friday night where someone's miserable streak has to snap.