Alaves vs Villarreal - La Liga

The history between Alaves and Villarreal lends this La Liga fixture an extra layer of spice, and when the two walk out at the home ground on August 28, 2026, recent encounters will be on everyone's mind. Catch up with all the action from Chelsea's pre-season clash with AC Milan.

Alaves head into the contest positioned 6th in the La Liga standings, while Villarreal arrive sitting 19th. Alaves have been picking up results at a respectable clip, LL over their last five with a season win rate of 50%. It has been a wretched run on the road for the visitors, LLLLL in their last five and a win rate of 0% that explains their lowly standing. One side has leaned on a miserly defence, the other on a free-scoring attack, and the meeting of those contrasting strengths promises an intriguing tactical subtext. In terms of net spend, Liverpool topped the table with £219.4m, followed by Ipswich (£190.7m), Spurs (£176m) and Hull (£160.5m).

How the two sides approach the contest strategically will be key. Alaves will want to control proceedings in front of their own supporters, while Villarreal will back themselves to cause problems on the break. It meant City had a three-man defence of Josko Gvardiol, Abdukodir Khusanov and Ruben Dias when in possession.

When Raphinha is on the pitch — 6 goals to his name this term — moments of magic are never far away, and the La Liga's top scorer will be central to how this one unfolds. The wide areas will be a key battleground, with full-backs and wingers on either side capable of swinging the contest one way or the other. But United aren't budging—they still consider the Slovenian striker central to Michael Carrick's long-term project at Old Trafford.

With the sides closely matched, the outcome may well hinge on which team takes its chances on the day. The weight of evidence points to Alaves, and a 2-1 win for the hosts feels like the most probable outcome. Whatever the outcome, the La Liga fixture promises a meaningful contest with real implications for both clubs. It is understood that his next move is most likely to take him abroad - and potentially to the Premier League.