- Alaves have split the last two meetings with Málaga and won 2-1 at home in LaLiga 2 2022/23.
- Alaves are 7th in LaLiga 2026/2027 with 11 points from 8 games, Malaga are 20th with 4.
- Malaga have won none, drawn 3 and lost 2 of their last 5 matches in all competitions.
Style clash at Estadio Mendizorroza
This Friday's LaLiga 2026/2027 clash between Deportivo Alavés and Malaga CF is a battle of styles in the making, with Quique Sánchez Flores' Babazorros set up in a compact 5-3-2 formation, while Juan Funes' Malaguistas play a wider game and press the ball high up the pitch.
The Babazorros are built on a deep block, organised pressing and quick vertical breaks, and a 0-0 draw away to Athletic Bilbao and a 1-2 home defeat to Atlético Madrid show that they still have some work to do.
But they've won 3 of their 5 home LaLiga 2026/2027 games so far, losing the other two and averaging 2.00 goals scored per game. Lucas Boyé is their main man right now, currently topping LaLiga 2026/2027's goal charts with 4 strikes in 6 games. He has netted 4 of Alavés' last 7 goals and looks a solid bet to strike again in this clash.
Malaga will miss out on the spoils
Málaga's boss Juan Funes has had to be more creative in setting his team up, using his full backs, flank overloads and high pressing to get at the opposition. In their last two outings, they failed to find a way through at Getafe, losing 0-1, and tied 1-1 at home to Espanyol, keeping the pressure on Juan Funes' side.
Adrián Niño is Malaga's brightest spark in recent games, having scored 1 goal in 3 appearances in the current LaLiga 2026/2027 campaign and 2 of Málaga's last 3 goals in the 5-game run. Away from home, Malaga have been abject with 0 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats in 4 trips, averaging a measly 0.25 goals scored and a hefty 2.00 goals conceded per game.
Therefore, we can only side with the hosts, who have had Malaga's number on this ground in the past and should have the tools to win this battle of systems on Friday. The odds of 87/100 are about right though, with Malaga 31/10 and the draw 49/20. But given the difference in quality on show, we'll go with the Alaves option in the outright market.
Under 2.5 goals at 7/10 looks a fair price here given the nature of the game and the fact that the visitors rarely get on the scoresheet. But both teams to score no is favoured at 83/100 as Alaves are likely to control the match and find the net on the counter-attack.
