• Competition: Spain - LaLiga
• Date: Saturday, 14th, September 2024
• Kickoff: 15:15 UK / 16:15 CEST
• Venue: Stage Front Stadium (Cornella de Llobregat)

Deportivo Alaves will look to solidify their top-six standing as they visit Stage Front Stadium to take on newly promoted Espanyol in matchday five of La Liga on Saturday.

After being one of the relegated top-flight teams in 2023, the Catalan club didn’t linger long in second-tier football, as it took them just one season to taste the charms of LaLiga again, having outplayed Real Oviedo in the playoff final with a 2-1 aggregate score. Generally, Espanyol have dimished in strenght in recent years and are no longer a stumbling block for major clubs like they used to be, and their return to the elite doesn't bode well, given that the Periquitos have put up a meager haul of four points from 12 on offer after the first four weeks of the 2024-25 campaign.

The same year that Espanyol were relegated to the second division, Deportivo Alaves secured promotion back to Spain’s top tier on their first attempt, and they enjoyed a commendable return campaign, dispelling any doubts about their survival in time and achieving a 10th-place finish. Mimicking last season's success seems like a compex task, but El Glorioso appear poised to dazzle LaLiga once again as one of the most pleasant surprises after harvesting a fine seven points  from four matches to take the sixth spot.

Espanyol vs Alaves Betting Tips: DRAW

At this moment, the Basque club are producing better results and instilling more confidence, so we assert that they have all the necessary tools to leave Catalonia unbeaten. After a rocky start that saw them go scoreless and winless through their first three games, Espanyol finally breathed a sigh of relief thanks to Spurs loanee Alejo Veliz, who netted in the dying moments to wrap up Periquitos’ first victory of the season. 

The last-gasp 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and the hard-earned point from a lifeless 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid represent a decent haul, but it cannot be denied that the Catalans are still far from their expected level and form. Their opponent Alaves comes into this match in high spirits, which is understandable, as they have quickly redeemed themselves from their curtain-raiser defeat to build a superb three-game unbeaten run (W2 D1) and will strive to maintain it for as long as possible. 

After holding off Real Betis to earn a big point, El Glorioso stunned 10-man Real Sociedad 2-1 and claimed a routine 2-0 triumph over Las Palmas last time out, but the next visit to RCDE Stadium raises concerns for the Basque club, as they have come up empty-handed in four of their lst five and have not beaten Espanyol here since 2002. It's undeniable that Alaves behaved better on the field and delivered much better results in the initial four LaLiga weeks, their unfortunate record in Catalonia leads us to believe that splitting the points is the most likely outcome in this one.