Alaves vs Oviedo Preview: Team News & Prediction
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Deportivo Alaves sit firmly in the middle-of-the-table in La Liga as the Basque outfit now welcome a struggling Real Oviedo side to Mendizarrozza this weekend.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Premier Sports / US – ESPN have the exclusive rights to La Liga games in the USA, so any game may be televised on one of their affiliated channels
How to watch online: UK – Premier Player / US – ESPN+
Alaves preview: Solid Alaves
Under the management of Eduardo Coudet, Deportivo Alaves sit firmly in the middle-of-the-table but their form has majorly dipped of late and only the bottom two teams, Oviedo and Levante, have lost more than Alaves so far this season.
The hosts went into the winter break on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Osasuna at El Sadar in Pamplona as a result of a brace from Ante Budimir as well as a strike from Raul Garcia late on.
Oviedo preview: Struggling Oviedo
Following their promotion via the playoffs in mid-June last season, Real Oviedo won two of their opening eight games of the campaign under Veljko Paunovic before his bizarre sacking and a complete collapse after the return of Luis Carrion.
Luis Carrion has since departed again with the Asturians now coached by Guillermo Almada. Los Godos, as they are nicknamed, will be seeking to avoid finishing with the worst attack in La Liga history, having scored just seven goals so far.
Alaves team news: Couple of suspensions
Alaves are dealing with a couple of suspension issues for this one as both Facundo Garces and Victor Parada are sidelined, while Lucas Boye is dealing with an injury issue.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Antonio Sivera; Jonny, Tenaglia, Jon Pacheco, Yusi; Denis Suarez, Antonio Blanco, Pablo Ibanez; Calebe, Toni Martinez, Carlos Vicente
Unavailable: Garces (Suspended), Victor Parada (Suspended)
Questionable: Lucas Boye (Injured)
Oviedo team news: Carmo could return
Centre-back David Carmo could return from international duty, who has been away at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations but Angola have now been eliminated in the group stages.
Predicted XI (4-4-1-1): Aaron; Bailly, David Costas, Carmo, Alhassane; Fede Vinas, Dendoncker, Colombatto, Ilyas Chaira; Santi Cazorla; Salomon Rondon
Unavailable: Ejaria (Injured), Alvaro Lemos (Injured)
Questionable: Carmo (International duty), Nacho Vidal (Injured)
Alaves vs Oviedo prediction
Eduardo Coudet has been known for playing quite a proactive and attacking style of football. However, the Basque outfit haven’t been effective enough to play that way and now the more compromised style is suffering from defeat. Oviedo will hope they are a new look side in the second-half of the season but it will take some going to make them remotely effective with consistency in the final third and a low-scoring encounter appears inevitable for this one.
Alaves vs Oviedo tip: Under 2.5 goals
