Elche vs Alaves prediction 09.05.2026 | La Liga

In the previous few years, Elche have often switched between the two top tiers in Spain. Now, they are two points ahead of the drop zone and will try to keep their heads above water in the final three rounds of the season. Elche's form has been excellent lately, with three victories and only one defeat. The only defeat came last weekend, when Eder Sarabia's team lost 3-1 on the road against Celta Vigo. Although Elche lost, they probably deserved more, as Sarabia's team ended with an xG of 1.72 compared with the hosts' 1.04.

Elche's head coach, Eder Sarabia, was angry after a defeat in the previous La Liga round. He said, "We didn't handle the decisive moments well. We were superior to them in almost every aspect, except the result. Now, with what's at stake, that's the most important thing. That's why I'm leaving angry."

Elche doesn't have big problems with missing players at the moment. Adam Boayar and Yago Alonso are the only ones injured and will not play on Saturday.

After three seasons in the Spanish top flight, Alaves could return to La Liga 2. They are currently in the drop zone, but with only one point behind safety. Alaves were solid recently, with only two defeats in the last seven matches. In the previous game, they lost 4-2 at home against Athletic Bilbao. The guests ended with xG of 0.97, but the hosts' defense was terrible and will need to do much better in that segment to have any real chances of surviving in La Liga.

Alaves lost against Athletic Bilbao, and the head coach Quique Sanchez Flores talked about the reasons for a poor defensive display. He said, "In all the goals, I saw a lack of decisiveness. There are some things that are non-negotiable, and the lack of decisiveness is hard to accept. It was a common denominator. All three of their substitutions were better than ours, as they changed the game in their favor."

Alaves' Carles Alena received his fifth yellow card of the season in the previous round and will not play on Saturday. He will join already sidelined Lucas Boye and Carlos Protesoni.