Valencia Vs Alavés preview: lineups set, but key selections remain unresolved
Sunday at 8: 00 a. m. ET, Valencia vs alavés is set for matchweek 27 at the Estadio de Mestalla, with Valencia and Alavés separated by just two points in La Liga. What remains unresolved is Valencia’s final attacking choice with Lucas Beltran a major doubt, and how quickly new Alavés coach Quique Sanchez Flores can steady a team without two suspended players.
Valencia Vs Alavés stakes sharpen with only two points separating the teams
Valencia enter the weekend in 15th place with 29 points from 26 matches, while Alavés sit 16th with 27 points from 26 matches. The gap to the relegation line is tight for both: Valencia are five points outside the relegation zone, and Alavés are three points above 18th-placed Mallorca. With only one spot and two points separating them, Sunday’s match carries immediate table pressure rather than long-term hypotheticals.
Form lines are clear in the most recent results. Valencia last won 1-0 against Osasuna, and they have two wins in their last three league games, including a victory over Levante on Feb. 15. Alavés, by contrast, lost 2-0 to Levante in their most recent match and have lost three of their last five matches in all competitions.
Still, the head-to-head record adds a competing signal. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended 0-0, and Alavés are unbeaten in their last six matches against Valencia, winning four of those six. Valencia have won only one of their last 10 matches against Alavés, with Alavés last losing to Valencia in August 2021.
Carlos Corberan’s Valencia injuries and Lucas Beltran doubt shape selection risk
Valencia will be without Mouctar Diakhaby, Dimitri Foulquier, Copete and Julen Agirrezabala for Sunday’s league match. Lucas Beltran is a major doubt, and that status is unconfirmed as of 11: 00 a. m. ET Saturday because no final availability decision is included in the provided team news.
Corberan is expected to consider sticking with the same XI that started against Osasuna. One confirmed hint from the preview coverage is Javi Guerra is likely to keep his spot in the final third. The remaining uncertainty is concentrated in the attacking options: Hugo Duro and Arnaut Danjuma are described as options for change, yet Umar Sadiq is expected to keep his starting role.
A separate projected lineup from Valencia’s last match listed Stole Dimitrievski, Thierry Correia, Eray Cömert, Unai Núñez, José Gayà, Largie Ramazani, Guido Rodríguez, Javi Guerra, Luis Rioja, Filip Ugrinic and Umar Sadiq. Whether Corberan repeats that group on Sunday is expected but not confirmed, and it hinges in part on how Valencia manage Beltran’s major-doubt status.
Quique Sanchez Flores’ first weeks at Alavés meet suspensions and away struggles
Alavés arrive at Mestalla under a new head coach: Quique Sanchez Flores has been appointed after Eduardo Coudet left to take charge of River Plate. The immediate task is straightforward but unresolved: translating a managerial change into points quickly enough to avoid being pulled into the bottom three.
Selection constraints are clearer on the Alavés side. Ville Koski is closing in on a return to action, but this match is likely to come too soon for the 24-year-old defender. Koski is the team’s only injury concern, yet Alavés will also be without Pablo Ibanez and Victor Parada due to suspensions.
Alavés’ recent away indicators are confirmed in the match notes, but their meaning for Sunday remains uncertain until the first 15–20 minutes show whether the pattern holds. Away from home, Alavés have one draw in their last 12 games, and they have gone two consecutive away matches without a win. The same notes say Alavés have conceded goals in six consecutive away games and have conceded in eight consecutive games overall.
Another question that will be answered on the pitch is how Sanchez Flores matches up tactically against Valencia. On record, Quique Flores has faced Valencia 13 times, with two wins, three draws and eight losses. Carlos Corberán has faced Alavés twice, recording a draw and a loss.
The next confirmed event that will move this story is kickoff at Estadio de Mestalla on Sunday at 8: 00 a. m. ET. If Lucas Beltran is confirmed unavailable before the match, Valencia are expected to lean on the same attacking structure referenced in the Osasuna win, with Umar Sadiq expected to keep his starting role.
