Deportivo Alaves vs Atletico Madrid 03/01/21

Estadio Mendizorrotza is the venue, as Deportivo Alaves look to bring a disappointing 10-game winless La Liga streak against Atletico Madrid to a halt (D4, L6).

Alaves could only manage a 1-1 draw against 10-man Osasuna last time out, as they continue to produce low-scoring matches in La Liga. Indeed, four of their five previous league fixtures have now featured under 2.5 total goals, with three yielding a goalless first-half scoreline. Due to a genuine lack of firepower up front, ‘El Glorioso’ have drawn a blank in half (4) of their eight home La Liga games this season, scoring precisely once per match in two of the other four. Scoring against Atletico Madrid will be equally daunting for the home side, considering that they’ve failed to find the net in four of their last five top-flight meetings held at this stadium (D2, L3). Yet, if they manage to get on the scoresheet here, they are likely to do it before half-time, as five of their six home league goals scored this term have come in the first half of play.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid show no signs of slowing down anytime soon, as the league leaders head into this encounter on the back of three consecutive La Liga victories. In fact, ‘Los Colchoneros’ boast by far the best win-ratio in the Spanish top-flight this season (78.57%), having won 11 of their opening 14 league matches (D2, L1). In a true Diego Simeone style, eight (72.73%) of Atletico’s La Liga successes this season have come ‘to nil,’ with all but three have coming despite a -1 handicap. Additionally, they have racked up four triumphs in their last five league trips (L1), keeping a clean sheet at half-time on each occasion. Notably, the capital-based giants have not lost their first La Liga game of a calendar year for 11 years running (W7, D4)!