Alavés and Málaga meet at Mendizorrotza with very different urgencies. Alavés have slipped from their early-season peak but remain seventh, while Málaga arrive still searching for a first win and sitting bottom with four points.
The search around Alavés Vs Málaga is being driven by the contrast in form as much as the fixture itself. Alavés collected 10 of the first 12 points possible, then took only one point from their last five league matches. Málaga have four points from four draws and just lost 5-2 at home to Real Sociedad, leaving them at the foot of the table and already looking at the survival line marked by Racing de Santander on eight points.
That is why Hugo Novoa matters here. He scored Alavés’ only goal in the last match, the defeat in Balaídos, where the team conceded twice from isolated home actions and came away with no reward. Even so, Alavés are still three points behind the European places, which makes this game feel less like a routine home fixture and more like a chance to stop the slide before the table tightens further.
The history at Mendizorrotza leans Alavés’ way, but not overwhelmingly. The teams last met there in May 2023 in a Segunda División league match, when Alavés won 2-1 thanks to goals by Villalibre and Toni Moya in the 86th minute. Málaga have not won at Mendizorrotza since the 2007/2008 season, when Peragón scored in a 0-1 victory, a long gap that gives this meeting a sharper edge for the visitors.
The listed XIs underline that the match is already being framed as a straight comparison between two sides under pressure. Alavés were shown with Sivera; Ángel Pérez, Jonny, Koski, Tenegalia, Abde Rebbach; Pablo Ibáñez, Antonio Blanco, Aleñá; Toni Martínez and Lucas Boyé. Málaga were listed with Herrero; Adam Aznou, Ángel Recio, Calero, Rafita; Pablo Martínez, Dani Lorenzo, Dotor, Larrubia; Chupe and Fer Niño. Whether those lineups hold through kickoff is the open detail, but the message is clear enough: Alavés need to turn early promise back into points, and Málaga need something more than draws to change the shape of their season.
