:Headline: Preview: Granada vs. Alaves - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Sunday's La Liga clash between Granada and Alaves, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Relegation-threatened Granada will be aiming to end a five-game losing run in Spain's top flight when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Alaves on Sunday afternoon.
Jose Ramon Sandoval's side are 19th in the table, 14 points behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo, while Alaves occupy 13th position, seven points ahead of the relegation zone.
Match preview
Granada boast a record of two wins, eight draws and 20 defeats from their 30 La Liga matches this season, which has left them in 19th position in the table on 14 points.
The Andalusian outfit are 14 points from the safety of 17th position with eight games left, so it is going to be incredibly difficult to escape the relegation zone, but it is not an impossible task.
Sandoval's side will enter this contest off the back of a 1-0 home loss to Valencia, and the team have been beaten in each of their last five games at this level, while their last win was on January 3.
Granada have a tough trip to Athletic Bilbao after this one, and they will also take on Real Madrid and Girona before the end of the campaign, so their fixture list is difficult, which will not help their chances of pulling off what would be a great escape.
The Andalusian side won the Segunda Division last season to secure a return to this level of football, but they are facing dropping back down into the second tier for the 2024-25 campaign.
Alaves also gained promotion from the Segunda Division last term, advancing through the playoffs, but they have more than competed at this level and are very much on course to secure another La Liga season.
The Blue and Whites have won eight, drawn eight and lost 14 of their 30 league games in 2023-24 to collect 32 points, which has left them in 13th position in the table.
Luis Garcia's side are seven points clear of the relegation zone, but they have lost three of their last four in the league, including a 1-0 home defeat to Real Sociedad last time out.
Alaves have picked up 11 points from their 15 away league matches this season, while Granada have the second-worst home record in the division, claiming only 12 points from 15 games.
El Glorioso recorded a 3-1 victory over Granada in the reverse match earlier this season, but they have lost two of their last three top-flight fixtures with Sunday's opponents.
Granada La Liga form:
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
Alaves La Liga form:
- D
- D
- L
- W
- L
- L
Team News
Granada are expected to be without the services of Oscar Melendo on Sunday due to a muscular problem, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape in terms of their squad.
There are unlikely to be any surprises in the XI, with a 4-4-2 formation set to include Lucas Boye and Myrto Uzuni in the final third, with the latter scoring nine times in the league this season.
Gerard Gumbau and Sergio Ruiz should continue as the two central midfielders, while there is also expected to be another start in a wide position for Theodor Corbeanu.
As for Alaves, Aleksandar Sedlar remains on the sidelines with a long-term knee problem, but the visitors have no fresh fitness concerns ahead of the contest.
Luis Rioja, Jon Guridi and Carlos Vicente are set to continue as the three attackers behind the lone forward Samu Omorodion, who has scored eight times in La Liga this term.
Giuliano Simeone is pushing to feature in the final third of the field, but it is likely that the 21-year-old will again be among the substitutes for the first whistle on Sunday.
Granada possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Mendez, Rubio, Miquel, Neva; Pellistri, Ruiz, Gumbau, Corbeanu; Boye, Uzuni
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Gorosabel, Abqar, Marin, J Lopez; Blanco, Guevara; Vicente, Guridi, Rioja; Omorodion
We say: Granada 1-1 Alaves
Granada have only won twice in La Liga this season, so it is difficult to back them to secure all three points. The strugglers are also on a five-game losing run, which will hand Alaves confidence, but we are expecting the Andalusian outfit to secure a share of the spoils in Sunday's contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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