Almeria's search for their first La Liga victory of the 2023-24 campaign will continue on Friday evening, when they welcome Alaves to Power Horse Stadium.
The hosts, who are bottom of the table, will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 defeat at Real Madrid, while 12th-placed Alaves continued their strong run of form with a 1-0 success over Cadiz last time out.
Match preview
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Almeria were on course for what would have been a huge result at Bernabeu last weekend, with goals from Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez seeing them lead Real Madrid 2-0 at the interval.
However, Carlo Ancelotti's side fought back in the second half, levelling the scores courtesy of goals from Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, before Dani Carvajal won it for the hosts in the 99th minute.
Almeria were of the opinion that a number of VAR decisions went against them, and their midfielder Gonzalo Melero told DAZN after the match that his side "were robbed", while head coach Gaizka Garitano was sent off during what was an emotional second half in the Spanish capital.
La Union remain rock bottom of the table on six points courtesy of a record of zero wins, six draws and 15 defeats, and they are 10 points behind 17th-placed Sevilla, but they held the leaders Girona to a goalless draw last time out on home soil and can take plenty of encouragement from the clash with Real Madrid.
UDA have the worst home record in La Liga this season, picking up just five points from 10 matches, but their better performances have come in front of their own fans, and the strugglers beat Alaves 5-0 when the pair last locked horns in Andalusia in the Copa del Rey back in January 2021.
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Alaves were promoted back to La Liga through last season's Segunda Division playoffs, so their main aim for this term is to avoid relegation and therefore any spot over 18th would be considered a success.
El Glorioso have performed above expectations during the 2023-24 campaign, though, picking up 23 points from 21 matches to sit in 12th position in the table, just three points behind 10th-placed Getafe.
Luis Garcia's side are unbeaten since a 1-0 home loss to Real Madrid on December 21, drawing 1-1 with Real Sociedad in their first game of 2024 before recording back-to-back wins over Sevilla and Cadiz.
Luis Rioja's second-half penalty was enough to overcome Cadiz last time out, and Alaves have won five of their 10 home league matches during the 2023-24 campaign.
The Basque outfit were also victorious when they welcomed Almeria for the reverse match earlier this season, with Aleksandar Sedlar's 79th-minute effort proving to be the difference between the two teams.
Team News
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Almeria will be without the services of Arnau Puigmal and Ibrahima Kone on Friday due to injuries, while Ramazani is out due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up against Real Madrid.
The home side will also again be missing Iddrisu Baba, Houboulang Mendes and Marciano Sanca due to their involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Leo Baptistao is available again after a suspension and should return to the starting side, potentially in a wide position, as Luis Suarez could now be ready to start, with the forward making two substitute La Liga appearances since recovering from a broken leg.
As for Alaves, Sedlar is missing for the remainder of the season due to a long-term knee injury, while Abdel Abqar and Jesus Owono are in action at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Head coach Garcia could name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Cadiz last time out, with Kike Garcia keeping his spot in the final third of the field.
Carlos Vicente and Jon Guridi should also feature in attacking areas, while Antonio Blanco is set to be named in central midfield alongside Ander Guevara for the clash with the team at the bottom of the division.
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Maximiano; Pubill, Kaiky, Gonzalez, Chumi, Akieme; Arribas, Lopy, Robertone, Baptistao; Suarez
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Gorosabel, Marin, Duarte, Lopez; Blanco, Guevara; Vicente, Guridi, Rioja; Kike Garcia
We say: Almeria 1-1 Alaves
Alaves will enter this match in strong form, but Almeria's last two performances cannot be ignored, drawing with Girona before coming so close to picking up a point at Real Madrid. As a result, we are struggling to back the hosts to lose here, believing that they will be good enough to secure a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
