Deportivo Alaves vs Atletico Madrid

Rock-bottom Deportivo Alaves face a formidable challenge in the shape of Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Mendizorrotza, as the hosts hope to get off the mark in La Liga this season.

Winless in their last 12 La Liga meetings with Atletico (D4, L8), Alaves already look like a doomed outfit here. Alongside Getafe, the hosts remain the only side in La Liga to lose all five league engagements this season, doing so by an aggregate score of 11-1. Nailed to the bottom of the table, the ‘Babazorros’ have yet to score from open play this season, failing to find the net in their last four La Liga outings since Joselu’s second-half penalty against Real Madrid on the opening weekend. The one thing Alaves could find comforting here is that they finished last season as one of only seven teams to take points from the majority of their home La Liga fixtures they started as outsiders W3, D4, L5).

On the other hand, despite going unbeaten across their opening five La Liga matches, a lack of consistency has seen Atletico Madrid alternate between a victory (3) and a draw (W2). After pulling off a stunning late comeback to beat Getafe 2-1 away from home last time out, ‘Los Rojiblancos’ are warm favorites to register back-to-back league wins for the first time this season. Diego Simeone’s men have suffered just one defeat in their previous five top-flight visits to Basque sides (W3, D1), courtesy of a 2-1 reverse at Athletic Bilbao back in April. Additionally, the reigning Spanish champions are unbeaten in their last 11 La Liga fixtures (W8, D3), with each of their eight victories in that sequence coming by a thin one-goal margin.