Real Valladolid - Deportivo Alavés 17-08-2025

Is there room for pride at relegation-bound Valladolid, or is Alavés doing the job?

When Real Valladolid and Deportivo Alavés meet at the Estadio José Zorrilla on Sunday evening, the starting point is quite different: the home team has already been relegated and is playing for glory, while the visitors from Vitoria still have something to fight for. Alavés are four points below the relegation zone with two rounds remaining, and with a win will be mathematically safe. This is therefore a final match where motivation and situation may be more important than table position alone.

Real Valladolid 

It has been a tough season for Valladolid. After promotion last summer, the team has never quite managed to find their rhythm in La Liga, and it ended with a confirmed relegation quite early. Before this round, they have 16 points from 36 games, and are last in the table. They have scored the fewest goals in the league (26) and lost 28 games – no team has lost more.

At home it has been tough. With only three wins in front of their own fans all season, and ten consecutive losses, there is little indication that they will finish in style. The team's biggest challenge has been their ability to create chances. They struggle to threaten the backline, and it doesn't help that the strikers have been goalless all season, top scorer Mamadou Sylla has only 5 goals.

Coach Alvaro Rubio has rotated his team a lot in recent games, and it is expected that younger players will get a chance now that relegation is a fact, now it is just a matter of getting the team ready for next season. This makes the team lineup unpredictable – perhaps more offensively risk-taking, but at the same time more vulnerable. The only real motivation is to avoid ending the season with zero points in May.

Deportivo Alaves

For Alavés, the situation is completely different. With 36 games played and 38 points, they still have a knife at their throat, but four points down to Leganes in 18th place gives them a little breathing room. A win here would secure a renewed season in the top division, regardless of what Leganes does in their match.

Alavés have been solid in recent weeks. Aside from the loss to Bilbao, they have picked up seven points from their last four games, including a strong home win against Valencia. They have been particularly solid defensively, conceding only two goals in their last five games. Goalkeeper Antonio Sivera has been brilliant, and the backline led by Mourinho and Tenaglia is compact and disciplined.

Offensively, they are not always as entertaining, but players like Joan Jordan and Kike García have enough speed and power to threaten a weak Valladolid defense. Alavés often play a 4-1-4-1 with low risk, focusing on set pieces and quick transitions, a style that suits away games like this.

Will Alavés save their place – or will Valladolid drag them down?

The teams played 1–1 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, but the situation is completely different now. Valladolid is without pressure, while Alavés will come with intensity and a clear plan. This can of course create nervousness, but also open up the game more than usual. Alavés will hardly be aiming for anything other than three points, and if they first take the lead, they tend to control the game well.

Valladolid enters the match without pressure, but also without motivation and form. They have been the weakest team in the league and rarely score goals. Alavés, on the other hand, has everything to play for. They have shown an increase in form and seem solid both defensively and in structure. When you add up the home statistics, goal production, table situation and motivation, most things point towards a controlled away win with a low goal total.

This is a game where motivation and mentality probably decide more than quality. Valladolid are done and playing only for pride, while Alavés have their season at stake. That usually pays off – and we think it will here too. Here we believe this is a game with high value considering previous matches, playing styles and the situation the teams are in;

La Liga at 19:00: Real Valladolid - Deportivo Alavés: Alavés to win + Under 3.5 goals (2.20)

Alternative games:

La Liga at 19:00: Real Valladolid - Deportivo Alavés: Alavés win to nil (2.47)

La Liga at 19:00: Real Valladolid - Deportivo Alavés: Under 2.5 goals (1.82)