Atletico Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves

Estadio Wanda Metropolitano is the venue as Atletico Madrid take on Deportivo Alaves in a must-win La Liga home fixture.

Atletico Madrid headed into November’s international break in a rich vein of form, winning four consecutive games across all competitions for the first time since May. Despite Atletico’s recent resurgence, Diego Simeone’s future at the Metropolitano Stadium remains questionable, with reports in Spain suggesting the club is searching for a replacement for their long-serving manager. Simeone has won eight major trophies in Madrid since taking charge in 2011, but his hopes of leading ‘Los Rojiblancos’ to their third title under his stewardship hang by a thread. With pacesetters Barcelona six points off, Atletico must beat Alaves at home, where they’ve racked up four wins in six league matches this season (D2). Moreover, they’ve emerged victorious from their last six top-flight H2Hs at home.

With Deportivo Alaves netting a meager average of 0.5 goals per game during that sequence, their hopes of recovering from a dismal 3-0 defeat at Villarreal just before the international break look thin. Adding to this sentiment, Alaves’ only away league triumph this season dates back to late August. Barring that unexpected 2-1 win at Real Sociedad, they’ve lost their six remaining top-flight games on the road, including the last five in a row, three of which saw them concede precisely three goals. In addition to their disastrous defensive record, Luis Garcia Plaza’s men have failed to get on the scoresheet on their last three La Liga travels, suggesting another tepid performance in Madrid is well on the cards.