The stage is set for this year’s Spanish representative in the Europa league, Celta Vigo, to go and visit newcomers Alaves in the Spanish La liga, as both are ready to go head to head in search for as high a league placing as possible. After the mid week disappointment in Europe as they were knocked out of the Europa league in the semi final against Manchester United, Celta Vigo would come into this match dejected, and hence, looking for a win. Alaves season has been a pretty strong one, as they are stationed at the 10th position, and can finish as high as 8th, provided all the results go their way, starting with a victory this Sunday.
DEPORTIVO ALAVES vs CELTA DE VIGO
3-Way:1: DEPORTIVO ALAVES -141; X: +268 Draw; 2: CELTA DE VIGO +443
Spread -0.5: DEPORTIVO ALAVES -145; CELTA DE VIGO +121
Total +2.5: Over +110; Under -135
DEPORTIVO ALAVES
One must appreciate the commendable job that the newly promoted club has done in the Spanish La Liga this season. As fans and pundits started to suggest a year of struggle and a relegation for Alaves, the team has instead taken the league in its stride, and are on their way to have a very respectable finish in the top half of the table. One of the most amiable aspects of this team is their determination to not give up, and keep knocking at the door of their opponents till the final whistle. This never give up attitude of the squad has resulted in the team grabbing points from matches where it seemed they had no chance to do so.
With 51 points in the Spanish La Liga so far, Deportivo Alaves sits in the 10th position of the table, with still a mathematical hope of finishing higher. 26 of those points have come in front of the home fans. They are in a good run of from, as they are unbeaten in their last five matches. Their current home record is 3-2-1. They have scored 5 times in their last 2 games, and conceded only once. A thumping 4:1 away win against Real Betis two weeks ago, was followed by a dogged, determined performance against Athletic Bilbao at home, which resulted in a 1:0 win, sealed by a thunderbolt of a shot by defender Theo Hernandez.
Alaves doesn’t have a good attack at all. In fact, they are one of the worst teams in attacking terms in the Spanish La Liga, better than only 2 teams. They have scored just 37 goals in the league, with 16 of them coming at home. Their defense is where they have made their name this season. They have a strong, focused backline. Their defense has conceded 41 goals, which is the 5th best in the league. The most impressive aspect is that Alaves has kept a total of 12 clean sheets this season, 7 of those at home. Their defensive solidity is further illustrated by the fact that they have played six 0:0 draws this league season, which shows that the El Glorioso have been pretty tidy at the back this season.
Forward Deyverson Silva Acosta has been the top scorer for the team in the Spanish La Liga, with 6 goals, and 1 assists. Apart from him, players like Ibai Gomez have also tried to contribute to the teams attacking end. Gomez has 5 goals and 2 assists to his name. Such meager returns show how poor the club has been on the attacking front. However, it’s their defense that has been the major attraction. On loan defender Theo Hernandez has scored 1 goal and assisted in other 3. Goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco has kept 11 clean sheets in the league till now, bettered only by three other keepers.
Alaves do have a few injury concerns. Victor Laguardia, and Sergio Llamas are both in doubts for the match, while Einar Galilea is out with a Cruciate Ligament Injury. A bit of positive news has been Carlos Martin Vigaray has returned to training, and will make the team in all likelihood.
CELTA DE VIGO
Last few weeks have been disappointing for Celta de Vigo. The team is currently riding a 4 match losing streak in the Spanish La Liga, while their results in the Europa League are not much better as they were knocked out of competition in the SemiFinal round by Manchester United. That midweek match laid bare all of Celta’s problems this season. They play well, are positive on the attacking approach, but their lack of incisiveness in front of goal costs the dear in matches, and that is the reason that Celta are lurking in the lower reaches of the Spanish La Liga, at the 12th position. With two matches left to be played in the domestic competition, Celta Vigo will be hoping to take their chances well in the remaining matches, so that the fans have something to be positive about as the frustrating season is coming to its end.
With the players wasting chances and the defense losing focus every now and then, Celta hasn’t been able to build on last year’s positive finish, where they finished in Europa league spots, and hence, will finish at or below 10th position this season. They have accrued 44 points so far, with 28 of them coming at home. Celta is in a poor run of games. Their current league record over the last six games is 1-0-5. They have been thrashed in both of their last two Spanish La Liga games. A 0:3 humbling at home by Athletic Bilbao was followed by a 3:0 humiliation at Malaga, who won the match and climbed above Celta in the league table.
Be it scoring goals, or preventing goals at the other side, the Celta team has been pretty average in both the departments. They have scored 49 goals in the Spanish La Liga so far, with 27 of them coming at home matches. Iago Aspas has been a bright light in the attacking department for the team as he has been among the top scorers in the league. Their defense has conceded quite a lot of goals, as teams have found it very easy to cut through a backline that appears to be devoid of concentration throughout the 90 minutes of a match. They have conceded 60 goals in the league so far, with only 7 clean sheets kept in this duration.
Iago Aspas has been a positive influence from the attacking front for the team. The former Premier league ‘flop’ has been involved in 20 goals in the league so far. He has scored 17, and assisted 3 goals. Other than him, winger Daniel Wass has been providing flair to the attacking. The Danish winger has 3 goals, and 4 assists to his name in the league. When it comes to injuries, Celta Vigo are comparatively much safer than other. The only player missing out is Giuseppe Rossi. The Italian forward is out for the season after he suffered an early season injury, where he injured his Cruciate ligament.
DEPORTIVO ALAVES vs CELTA DE VIGO MATCH PREDICTION
Celta Vigo would go to Deportivo Alaves hoping to win some points, as they have had a disappointing week, where they were left ruing for the missed chances to win the game against Manchester United. Moreover, Celta fans are yearning to see their team win a game.
However, Alaves has been very good this season, and even though they are weak in attack, Their strong defensive line has proved to be the decisive factor in winning points. So, keeping all the factors in mind, I would say that Alaves would edge this match, as they have better structural organization and Celta are low on confidence right now. In addition, I will take the under 2.5 goals.
MY PICK: DEPORTIVO ALAVES (-141)
Additional Pick: Under 2.5 goals (-135)
