Racing Santander vs Alaves prediction 12.09.2026 | La Liga

For more than a decade, Racing Santander were part of the lower tiers. They returned a few months ago, and their primary goal is to avoid relegation. However, the first four La Liga rounds indicate a tough year, as Racing Santander have collected only four points so far. In the most recent outing, they lost 3-2 on the road against Rayo Vallecano. The hosts limited the visitors to only a few solid goal-scoring opportunities, so it seemed pretty impossible for Racing Santander to pick up any points.

Racing Santander's head coach, Jose Alberto Lopez, was disappointed with his team's defense in the last match. He said, "It was a very emotional and competitive match, with many moments for both teams, but after taking the lead twice, we must improve, especially defensively as a unit, to be more solid, more compact, and to allow fewer chances for our opponents."

Racing Santander will be without injured Simon Eriksson, Iker Luque, and Andres Martin on Saturday afternoon.

In the last two seasons, Alaves finished with only one and two points more than the relegation zone. Most pundits saw the team from Vitoria-Gasteiz again as one of the worst in the Spanish elite competition. However, Alaves were excellent at the start of the 2026/27 campaign, with a big ten points in the first four La Liga rounds. The only team better than Quique Sanchez Flores' team at the start of the season is Barca with two points more. In the previous game, Alaves won 5-2 at home against Osasuna.

Alaves' head coach, Quique Sanchez Flores, was very satisfied after a victory in the previous La Liga round. He commented, "On days like today, there are very few things you can criticize the team for. We played with freshness and energy, created chances, and scored some beautiful goals. We are happy to see the players continuing to grow. We want what we are experiencing now to be something that lasts, rather than just a short-lived spell."

Facundo Garces, Toni Martinez, and Mikel Rodriguez are unavailable for the trip to Santander.