Survival Sunday Comes Early: Alavés vs Girona Is the Relegation Six-Pointer You Can't Miss
Alavés host Girona at Mendizorroza in a crucial LaLiga relegation battle. Three points separate the sides — here's what's at stake.
Two clubs scrapping for their Primera División lives go head-to-head at Mendizorroza on Sunday night — and this one’s got proper drama written all over it.
The Situation
Just three points split Alavés and Girona in the table, which tells you everything you need to know about how tight this is. Both sides are looking over their shoulders at the drop zone, and a defeat here could have serious consequences for either camp.
- Alavés are at home, which matters — Mendizorroza isn’t the easiest place to go and get a result
- Girona arrive in decent nick after a famous win over Barcelona, which is no small thing
- Three points is not a lot of daylight between two clubs in this part of the table
Girona’s Momentum vs Alavés’s Need
Here’s the interesting bit — Míchel’s Girona are the form side on paper. Beating Barça is the kind of result that gets lads walking a little taller, and in theory they’re the better-placed side heading into this one. In fact, if Girona were to win, they could actually start glancing upwards towards the European places rather than nervously eyeing the trapdoor below. That’s a wild swing in narrative for a club that’s been in a relegation scrap.
But — and it’s a big but — momentum in football is a funny old thing, innit. The danger for Girona is thinking the hard work is done after the Barça result. It absolutely isn’t. Points against the bottom half are just as precious, if not more so.
What Alavés Need
For the home side, this is arguably even more urgent. Playing at Mendizorroza gives them something to work with, and their fans will be right behind them knowing full well what’s at stake. A home win here could shift the dynamic completely and pile the pressure back onto Girona.
Key things to watch:
- Whether Girona can back up a big result with a gritty away performance
- How Alavés set up — do they sit deep or try to press?
- The mental state of both squads under relegation pressure
The Verdict
On balance, Girona look the stronger side and Míchel has them organised and playing with a bit of belief right now. But this is exactly the sort of fixture where the away side, riding high on confidence, can come a cropper against a desperate home team with nothing to lose. Don’t sleep on Alavés here.
Kickoff is at 21:00, live on Movistar LaLiga. Proper must-watch stuff if you’re into the grittier end of Spanish football — which, let’s be honest, is often more compelling than the glamour ties.