Blanco vs Gueye is the contest that decides this
Deportivo Alavés host Villarreal at Mendizorrotza on 28 August 2026 in La Liga Matchday 3. Alavés sit fourth after collecting four points from their opening two fixtures, while Villarreal are ninth with two points from a pair of draws. Both coaches were installed in 2026 (Quique Sánchez Flores taking over at Alavés on 3 March after Eduardo Coudet departed and Iñigo Pérez arriving at Villarreal on 1 June following Marcelino García Toral), so there is no meaningful head to head history between them. Sánchez Flores has defaulted to a 4-4-2 block in both matches while Pérez is still rotating his midfield combinations, numbers that map neatly onto Alavés' four points and Villarreal's two.
Alavés opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over Getafe before drawing 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano, three goals scored and one conceded across two matches. Villarreal have played out two high scoring draws, 2-2 against Racing Santander and 2-2 away at Atlético Madrid. They have scored four goals in two matches but two draws from two suggests the back line is not yet settled.
Alavés will be without Facundo Garcés, suspended for FIFA-related reasons, which leaves Sánchez Flores without his first choice centre-back and forces Tenaglia to organise a less experienced back line than he would ideally want. Villarreal are also short of bodies: Alassane Diatta is suspended while Diego Conde is out with a shoulder injury expected to keep him sidelined until early September. Of the two absences, Conde's probably hurts more, since goalkeepers who know a system's press triggers are harder to replace than a midfielder serving a one-match ban.
Sánchez Flores sets Alavés up in a compact 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1, sitting deep and hitting teams on the break with Boyé running in behind and Martínez holding up play to bring him into it (Lucas Boyé returning to fitness for their second match). Antonio Blanco controls the tempo in midfield while Tenaglia organises the defence behind him, a setup that held Getafe scoreless and gave Rayo very little to work with.
Pérez's Villarreal are more possession-oriented, looking to combine through Georges Mikautadze, Ayoze Pérez and Alberto Moleiro in advanced positions, with Pape Gueye protecting the midfield and Juan Foyth at centre-back. Without Diatta they have one fewer body to win the ball back in the press and the goalkeeper change will alter their build up patterns whether they like it or not.
The key individual battle is Blanco against Gueye in the middle of the park. If Blanco wins that duel, Villarreal's creative players get less time on the ball and Alavés' defensive shape becomes extremely difficult to unlock. Up front, Martínez and Boyé will try to isolate Foyth and his partner with direct runs, meaning long spells where neither side builds from the back and the game stalls in midfield. Alavés, without Garcés, are likely to lean even more on set piece routines and wide channels than usual, while Villarreal may ask Moleiro and Ayoze Pérez to drop further and carry the ball forward rather than combining in the final third.
Villarreal went unbeaten across both fixtures against Alavés in 2025/26, yet Alavés have not lost at home to Villarreal since January 2020. Alavés have shown a willingness to use set pieces as a weapon across their opening two matches and Garcés' absence pushes Sánchez Flores further in that direction. Diatta's suspension reduces Villarreal's presence at second balls in the box. Fatigue is barely a factor with only two matches played but a quick turnaround between fixtures nudges both coaches toward caution.
Alavés' defensive block, even without Garcés, should be compact enough to limit Villarreal's clearest chances and Foyth alongside Gueye look capable of containing Martínez and Boyé when Alavés try to break. Villarreal losing Conde means their build up will be slower than usual, cutting into the ball retention that usually helps them control territory. Both sides are still adapting to new managers and missing important players and Alavés at home have shown no sign of wanting to open up. 0-0.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
