La Liga - Alaves VS Valencia: After 2 consecutive losses, the veteran team has to fight for relegation again

Since finishing fourth in La Liga in the 2018-19 season, Valencia, a veteran La Liga team, has never been able to qualify for the European competition and has been fighting for relegation for a long time.

With the start of the 2025-26 La Liga season, Valencia's performance has fluctuated greatly. After the recent two consecutive losses, the relegation alarm has sounded! The ranking in the La Liga standings fell to 16th, only 2 points higher than the three teams in the relegation zone.

Alaves VS Valencia

Nature of the match: La Liga 9th round

Match time: October 21, 3:00

Alaves has shown a typical "home dragon" situation this season. Currently ranked 11th in the league, with 11 points from 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, it largely relies on its performance at the Mendizorosa Stadium. The team's overall playing style is pragmatic and its defense is relatively solid. It has only conceded 8 goals so far this season.

However, the team suffered a devastating blow before the game. Garces, the absolute mainstay of the defense, was sentenced to a one-year ban by FIFA for forging documents to represent Malaysia. He has started all 6 league games for the team this season. His absence means that Alaves' entire defense line needs to be reorganized, greatly reducing stability. To make matters worse, forward rotation player Mariano and main player Diarra were also exempted from the game due to injuries. The team's already inefficient offensive end (only 9 goals in 8 rounds) was even more stretched.

Valencia had a nightmare start to the season. After 8 rounds, they had 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, with only 8 points, stuck in the bottom half of the league. Even more fatal is its defense that is riddled with holes. It has conceded 14 goals so far this season, averaging as high as 1.75 goals per game. In the last round of the league, they lost 1-2 to Girona and suffered two consecutive defeats. The team's condition and morale were at a low point.

Similar to Alaves, Valencia also faces some injuries, but the more serious problem is the overall defensive system. The team's recent style of play has been slightly aggressive. The total number of goals scored in 5 of the past 6 games has reached or exceeded 3 goals. This reflects from the side that its offensive and defensive balance is out of control.

Judging from historical confrontations, Alaves is undoubtedly the side with the psychological advantage. In the past 10 meetings, Alaves has achieved a record of 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses. Especially at their home court, Alaves has remained unbeaten against Valencia in 7 consecutive games, and the Mendizorosa Stadium can be called Valencia's "nightmare place."

However, historical data need to be put in question in the face of realistic difficulties. Alaves lacks the core of its defense and key offensive players this time. Whether its defensive system and home momentum can be maintained is a huge unknown. Although Valencia's recent situation is not good, the paper strength of its lineup is still better than Alaves. In order to get rid of the losing streak, this campaign will definitely give it an all-out effort.

In this battle, Alaves, who play at home, is more promising.