Alavés - Girona: New duel of urgencies at Mendizorroza tests Girona’s revival
Alavés hosts Girona at Mendizorroza in a match slated for today that carries immediate consequences for both clubs. The fixture matters now because Girona arrive on the back of a high-profile victory while Alavés must secure points at home to blunt pressure from the relegation zone.
Development details: Alavés - Girona
Girona sit thirteenth with 29 points; Alavés are fifteenth with 26. Over the last 18 points available, Girona have collected 14, a run that includes a 2-1 win over Barcelona that has reinforced the team’s momentum. By contrast, Alavés have managed just one point from their two most recent league matches—drawning at Sevilla after suffering a defeat to Getafe by 0-2—leaving their home fixture at Mendizorroza framed as a must-win to open breathing space from the bottom places.
Squad news are clear for the contest: Girona recuperate Ounahi for selection after injury but will be without Joel Roca due to suspension following an expulsion in the match against Barcelona. Alavés coach Eduardo Coudet will be able to call on most of his roster except for Ville Koski, who remains in recovery after meniscus surgery and has not yet made his debut. The Uruguayan forward Protesoni returns to Alavés’ squad following recovery from an adductor injury.
Context and escalation
The trajectory of both teams has shifted markedly this season. Girona’s campaign featured a severe dip—occupying relegation positions around matchday 17—which prompted scrutiny of coach Míchel and raised doubts among supporters. The club’s winter signings, including Vanat, Ounahi, Lemar and Vitor Reis, have begun to produce results and contributed to a defensive improvement: in the current stretch Girona are noted as one of the competition’s stronger teams defensively, allowing fewer shots on target than most peers.
Alavés’ situation has also fluctuated. Prior to the recent results, the team had strung together two consecutive wins, but that momentum stalled with the loss at Getafe and a subsequent draw at Sevilla—an outcome complicated by an early red card to Juanlu in the Andalusian clash. Those dropped points have accentuated the urgency at Mendizorroza, where home form and the team’s vertical, intense style are expected to be decisive.
What makes this notable is how fine the margins have been between the sides in recent meetings: three of the last four encounters ended in narrow 1-0 scorelines, indicating a matchup often decided by small moments of execution or lapses in concentration.
Immediate impact
The immediate arithmetic is straightforward. A win for Alavés would level them on points with Girona and deliver an important psychological lift at home. For Girona, victory in Vitoria could yield multiple measurable benefits: parity with the eleventh-placed team is attainable in combination with other results, the gap to the relegation zone could expand up to eight points, and the club would further consolidate its claim to aim higher in the table.
Beyond points, the match affects squad management and momentum. Ounahi’s availability adds reinforcement to Girona’s midfield rotation; Joel Roca’s suspension removes an option in selection. For Alavés, Koski’s continued recovery delays the integration of a winter addition, while Protesoni’s return increases attacking choices. Those personnel shifts will shape tactical choices and in-game adjustments, particularly in second-ball contests and transitions—areas flagged as decisive for Girona when playing away.
Forward outlook
The fixture comes with 13 league rounds still to play, and both clubs are framing their seasonal objectives in light of that calendar. Alavés has the explicit short-term aim of distancing itself from relegation-threatened positions and moving toward the commonly cited permanence benchmark of 42 points. Girona view a positive result as a way to cement recent gains and keep alive ambitions of contesting higher positions in the closing third of the campaign.
The next confirmed milestone is today’s meeting at Mendizorroza; subsequent progress for both teams will be measured game by game over the remaining 13 fixtures. With form trends and narrow head-to-head margins in mind, the outcome in Vitoria stands to influence not only the immediate table but also the tenor of both clubs’ approaches in the weeks to come.
