Preview: Alaves vs Villarreal - prediction, team news, lineups

Villarreal will be aiming to record their first victory of the 2026-27 La Liga campaign when they head to Alaves on Friday night.

The Yellow Submarine currently sit ninth in the La Liga table, boasting two points from their opening two games of the campaign, while Alaves are third, picking up four points from two matches.

Match preview

Alaves have made an impressive start to the 2026-27 campaign, recording a 3-0 victory over Getafe in their season opener on August 15, before drawing 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano last time out.

A return of four points from two games has left Alaves up in third, with only Sevilla and Real Betis ahead of them in Spain's top flight at this stage of proceedings.

The Blue and Whites finished 14th in La Liga last season, and they are currently in their fourth straight campaign at this level of football following their Segunda Division promotion in 2022-23.

Quique Sanchez Flores' side have made four signings this summer, bringing Miguel Rodriguez, Nicolas Valentini, Ville Koski and Mikel Rodriguez to the club.

Alaves actually lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, having won 16 of their 34 matches, with Villarreal triumphing on 14 occasions.

Villarreal have not actually beaten Alaves away from home since January 2020, suggesting that this will be far from a straightforward match for the Yellow Submarine.

Inigo Perez's side have picked up two points from their opening two league matches of the season, playing out a 2-2 draw with Racing Santander in their campaign opener before claiming a point in another 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid last time out.

The Yellow Submarine finished third in Spain's top flight last season to secure another campaign of Champions League football, and there is pressure on the team to again claim a top-four spot in the 2026-27 La Liga table.

Villarreal have made two signings this summer, with the latest of those being Nathan Saliba, with the 22-year-old arriving from Anderlecht.

Perez's team have allowed a number of first-team players to move on, so there are expected to be further incomings before the transfer window closes.

Alaves La Liga form:

Villarreal La Liga form:

Team News

Alaves will again be missing Tomas Mendes through suspension, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape for the clash with Villarreal.

Mariano Diaz has scored twice off the bench for Alaves this season, and the 33-year-old could now be in line for a start against Villarreal.

However, there are unlikely to be any further alterations, with Antonio Blanco set to continue in the middle of midfield.

Villarreal, meanwhile, will welcome Alassane Diatta back into their squad, and the Yellow Submarine could now have a full complement of players available for this match.

New signing Saliba could be in line for a potential debut.

Gerard Moreno scored off the bench against Atletico Madrid last time out and could now be introduced into the starting side for this match.

There will also be another start for Georges Mikautadze, with Ayoze Perez potentially the player to drop out of the first XI on Friday night.

Alaves possible starting lineup:

Sivera; Perez, Tenaglia, Koski, Otto, Rebbach; Ibanez, Blanco, Rodriguez; Boye, Diaz

Villarreal possible starting lineup:

Luiz Junior; Mourino, Foyth, Veiga, Romero; Pepe, Comesana, Gueye, Moleiro; Mikautadze, G Moreno

We say: Alaves 1-1 Villarreal

Villarreal have found it difficult to overcome Alaves away from home, and we are expecting this to be a tricky match for the Yellow Submarine, with another draw for Perez's side on the cards.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.