Alavés Vs Villarreal: Quique Debut, Champions and Survival
Quique Sánchez Flores makes his debut at Mendizorroza as Alavés host Villarreal in the opening match of LaLiga’s jornada 28. The alavés vs villarreal clash places Villarreal’s pursuit of a Champions League spot—sitting fourth with 54 points—and Alavés’s bid to climb away from the relegation zone at stake.
Alavés Vs Villarreal Lineups
Both teams have names on the teamsheet that underscore the stakes: Villarreal field Luiz Júnior; Mouriño, Pau Navarro, Renato Veiga, Cardona; Comesaña, Pape Gueye, Buchanan, Moleiro; Nicolas Pepe and Mikautadze, while Alavés line up Sivera; Ángel, Jonny, Tenaglia, Parada, Yusi or Koski; Blanco, Ibáñez, Aleñá; Toni and Lucas Boyé. The alavés vs villarreal starting XIs show Villarreal deploying a settled front line and Alavés leaning on recovered players to steady a fragile defense.
Quique Sánchez Flores Debut
Quique will lead Alavés for only his second match in charge and his first at Mendizorroza after a late defeat in Valencia. The pattern suggests the coach wants continuity from his Valencia debut, but squad disruptions could force tactical changes in Vitoria.
Villarreal Champions Race Outlook
Villarreal arrive fourth with 54 points, level on points with Atlético in third, and holding an 11-point cushion over Real Betis with 11 matches remaining. The figures point to Marcelino’s side aiming to protect and extend that margin to secure a Champions League berth as early as possible this season.
Alavés’s immediate match-day issues are concrete: a FIFA sanction rules out central defender Facundo Garcés, Jon Pacheco and Ander Guevara are suspended after expulsions, and Carlos Protesoni left the last match injured before halftime. The pattern suggests those absences have reshaped Quique’s selection options and may explain the possible inclusion of Ville Koski, a winter signing recently recovered from injury.
Villarreal’s squad news offers its own signals: the defender Willy Kambwala is included in the call-up for the first time this season after receiving medical clearance following summer surgery on his left hamstring, while Logan Costa, Ayoze Pérez and Juan Foyth remain unavailable. The selection choices point to Marcelino managing fitness and depth as the team chases points away from home.
Lineup composition underlines tactical trade-offs. Alavés appear likely to use a three-central-defender base with Parada, Tenaglia and a wing player filling central roles, supplementing a midfield of Blanco, Ibáñez and Aleñá and two forwards in Lucas Boyé and Toni Martínez. The selection indicates a priority on solidity and direct options up front as Alavés seek the first win after five matches without victory.
For Villarreal, the inclusion of experienced attackers like Nicolas Pepe alongside Mikautadze — with Moleiro and Gerard Moreno available from the bench — signals a strategy of conserving key players while keeping offensive firepower ready. The squad list and Marcelino’s cautious posture over Pau Navarro’s fitness point to managed rotation rather than wholesale change for this away fixture.
The match opens LaLiga jornada 28 on 12 March in Mendizorroza, with referee Alejandro Quintero González assigned to oversee the fixture; that assignment is the next confirmed detail on the calendar and will determine the immediate rhythm and disciplinary framework of this high-stakes encounter.
