Málaga vs Alavés Prediction & Betting Tips - LaLiga 2

Prediction published on 16/12/2022, 07:47  by Joseph King | Modified on 16/12/2022 at 07:47 in Football Predictions

The halfway point in the Spanish Segunda Division has arrived with struggling Malaga facing off against promotion hopefuls Alaves for this matchday 21 clash at the Estadio La Rosaleda. It’s been a season to forget so far for Malaga who sit second-from-bottom with only three wins and 16 points through their 20 matches. However, there have been some positives for Los Albicelestes in recent weeks. Malaga are coming off a 1-1 away draw with Ibiza in their previous outing, which now makes it only one loss over their last seven matches. The hosts will be looking to go the extra step in their matchup against Alaves, as four of those seven matches have resulted in a draw. Standing in their way is an Alaves team that have hit a dip in form, losing their last three consecutive matches on the bounce and seeing them lose considerable ground in their promotion challenge. The Babazorro were shutout in their last match, losing 2-0 at home to Levante which dropped Alaves down to fifth in the standings on a record of nine wins, seven draws and four losses. 

This could be a tricky match for the visitors despite the gulf in the standings between these two teams. Alaves have managed to win only three of their 10 away matches on the season, failing to win in their last four away trips with their last two resulting in losses. Contrast that to a Malaga team that have taken five points from their last three home outings, scoring in each and limiting their opponents to only two total goals across those three matches. Additionally, Malaga’s underlying statistics at home have not been bad at all and point to a team that arguably have performed better than their 10 points from nine matches at the Rosaleda would suggest. The hosts have accrued 1.60 expected goals per home match while allowing 1.56. Alaves, for comparison, have managed only 1.06 expected goals per away match while giving up 1.48.