Villarreal vs Deportivo Alaves

The stakes are high for Villarreal and Deportivo Alaves as they face each other in a bottom-half La Liga showdown at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Pacheta’s appointment as the new chief of staff earlier this month has failed to produce the desired result, with Villarreal winning just once in their last six competitive outings (D2, L3). A 2-1 home defeat to promoted Las Palmas just before the international break gave Pacheta plenty to think about during the pause as ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ commence this round only two points clear of the relegation zone in La Liga. Villarreal’s embarrassing run of four defeats in five home league games this term (W1) is perhaps the most glaring issue. Back-to-back 2-1 losses to Las Palmas and Girona put them at risk of losing three consecutive home league matches for the first time since 1999! Pacheta must address Villarreal’s defensive woes, with only the bottom two conceding more goals than his team (15) ahead of this round.

As for visiting Deportivo Alaves, October’s international break has been most welcomed by their manager, Luis Garcia Plaza, handing him a fortnight to plot a way out of a five-game winless La Liga run (D2, L3). Scoring has emerged as a genuine problem for the newcomers, as they only netted twice during that five-match sequence. In fact, Alaves’ underwhelming seven-goal tally after the opening nine rounds only trumped Las Palmas’ haul of six, underlining the necessity to step things up in the front third. Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise they languish two points clear of 18th-placed Celta Vigo at the start of this matchday. Playing on the road won’t help much, with ‘El Glorioso’ picking up just one point and one goal across their first four La Liga travels (D1, L3).