Racing and Alavés meet at 14.00 hours in the Campos de Sport with the kind of numbers that make a quiet game hard to imagine. Racing have scored eight goals in four matches. Alavés have scored ten in the same span.
That is why the fixture is drawing attention now. Racing-Alavés is not just another league date; it brings together two teams that have started fast and have done it by finding the net. Alavés arrive on 10 points from 12 possible points, and Racing come in trying to protect a strong attacking identity while tightening the other end.
José Alberto has made the point plainly enough. Racing need to reinforce the defensive system and improve how they play without the ball in a low block. The expected answer goes through Belocian, who is set to start in the center of the back line alongside Pablo Ramón, while Pedro continues his recovery and waits to be that partner himself. In the previous week, José Alberto had already turned to Manu Hernando and Facu González, and the change did not solve the problem.
The attraction is not only on Racing’s side. Alavés arrive after scoring five against Osasuna, with Lucas Boyé at the center of it all after a hat trick in that match. He had already scored the goal that beat Villarreal in the third round, and that form is forcing a hard choice for Quique Flores, who may have to leave Mariano or Toni Martínez out. Toni Martínez is back from injury and has been included in the squad, but he will have to wait for his turn on the bench.
That is where the match starts to feel less like a meeting of styles and more like a test of control. Racing have built their recent identity on attack, even after two comeback losses in four league rounds, while Alavés have looked like a side that may seem cautious on paper but can hurt opponents through very aggressive wing play. One side wants to keep scoring. The other wants to prove it can stop the game from becoming a track meet.
Iván Martín also matters in that balance. He has grown in status after Puerta left, and Prati is expected to work beside him as the organizer behind the line of attacking midfielders. Ahead of them, Pablo García, Canales and Íñigo Vicente are expected to repeat, which leaves Racing with enough craft to create chances and enough uncertainty in defense to make every turnover feel dangerous.
José Alberto put it simply when he described Alavés as a side that shows very few weaknesses. Today’s answer has to come on the field, not in the briefing room. If Racing’s reshuffled defense settles early, the match can stay under control; if not, Boyé and the rest of Alavés have already shown they can turn a fast start into a problem that lasts all afternoon.
