Alavés - Villarreal pits Quique’s debut against Marcelino’s Champions cushion

alavés - villarreal will open LaLiga EA Sports matchday 28 on Friday, March 13 at 9: 00 p. m. local time (4: 00 p. m. ET) in Mendizorroza, with two different pressures colliding at once. Deportivo Alavés start Quique Sánchez Flores’ first home game while trying to stay clear of the relegation zone, while Villarreal arrive in fourth place aiming to turn a strong home run into points away from home.

Alavés - Villarreal sets the stakes

The framing is unusually clean for late-season league football: Villarreal’s objective is tied to the top of the table, while Alavés’ is tied to the bottom. Villarreal sit fourth on 54 points, level with Atlético in third, and hold an 11-point gap over Real Betis in fifth with 11 matchdays remaining. The figures point to why Marcelino García Toral has described the Champions League position as close to secure: even if the fifth-place race tightens, Villarreal’s current cushion gives them control of their own finish.

Alavés, meanwhile, come in 16th with 27 points and a two-point buffer above the drop. They have gone five matchdays without a win, including three winless home games in that run, and their recent defeat at Mestalla carried a particular sting: Quique’s first match ended with two late Valencia goals after Alavés had a favorable position in the game. The pattern suggests the immediate challenge under a new coach is less about introducing ideas than sustaining them for 90 minutes when fatigue and substitutions reshape matches.

Quique Sánchez Flores faces absences

Quique’s second match in charge doubles as his debut at Mendizorroza, but his lineup planning is constrained by a cluster of unavailable players. Facundo Garcés is out due to a FIFA sanction, while Jon Pacheco and Ander Guevara are suspended after being sent off last matchday. Carlos Protesoni is also sidelined after he could not last more than half an hour before going off injured.

Those absences matter tactically because they compress Alavés’ options in central defense. With a shortage of natural center backs, Ville Koski—signed in the winter market and recently recovered from injury—could make his debut. Still, the expected solution leans toward improvisation rather than novelty: Parada, Tenaglia and Otto are indicated as likely picks, with Yusi and Ángel on the flanks. The lack of height is flagged as a potential handicap for Alavés’ back line, a vulnerability that becomes more consequential against opponents who can turn territory into set-piece pressure.

There are at least two pieces of good news for the hosts: Víctor Parada and Pablo Ibáñez return and are candidates to start. In midfield, Ibáñez is lined up to partner Antonio Blanco and Carles Aleñá, while Lucas Boyé and Toni Martínez are projected up front. The figures point to a coach trying to protect his team’s floor—staying outside relegation—by choosing a structure with clear roles, even if forced personnel changes push Alavés toward a less familiar defensive shape.

Marcelino highlights Villarreal’s gap

Villarreal’s selection issues are different: less about suspensions, more about fitness management and reintegrating players. Defender Willy Kambwala is included in the squad for the first time this season after receiving medical clearance this week, having been operated on last summer for a hamstring injury in his left leg. At the same time, Logan Costa, Ayoze Pérez and Juan Foyth remain ruled out for this week.

Two lineup questions hang over Marcelino’s choices. Gerard Moreno is a doubt to start and, for now, is expected to remain on the bench. Pau Navarro had to leave the field against Elche with physical problems; tests found no injury, but Marcelino has been cautious about using him in Vitoria. The pattern suggests Villarreal’s main balancing act is safeguarding availability while trying to improve an away record that has lagged behind their home form: they have failed to win in four of their last five away matches.

Yet Villarreal have their own historical warning at Mendizorroza. Alavés can point to a specific streak: Villarreal have not won in Vitoria in their last four visits. Marcelino has also described the ground as one that “doesn’t go well” for his team, underlining that Villarreal’s Champions League math does not remove the match-level difficulty. That tension—between a table position that looks comfortable and an away trend that is not—frames how Villarreal can validate their season: closing out tight trips is often what turns a “near secure” place into a confirmed one.

Friday’s match also carries a personal milestone for Marcelino, who can reach his 100th top-flight win with Villarreal if his team wins. Still, his pre-match message stays consistent with the table arithmetic: Villarreal are not planning around other teams’ European commitments, but around their own performance standards with 11 matches left. If Villarreal win and move ahead of Atlético, the data suggests the next stage of their run-in becomes less about chasing and more about defending position.

The immediate open question is how both coaches resolve their most pressing selection dilemmas at kickoff: whether Alavés must hand Ville Koski a debut to cover the center-back shortage, and whether Villarreal can risk Pau Navarro or keep him out despite medical tests showing no injury—decisions that will shape how alavés - villarreal is played from the first duel in Mendizorroza.