Atletico Madrid's season is petering out and Deportivo Alaves will be looking to take advantage as they seek three precious points in their fight against relegation from La Liga.
This was shaping up as a memorable campaign for Diego Simeone's side when they were in the thick of the Spanish title fight and going for glory in the Champions League.
But a controversial penalty shoot-out defeat to city rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 saw their season unravel and Atletico's La Liga hopes are now dead and buried as they trail Barcelona by 10 points.
Their form has picked up a bit again, with three wins in their last four games, but they lost 1-0 at struggling Las Palmas on their last road trip, bringing up a 7/5 bet for our man Mark in the process.
Now Atletico face another team fighting for their lives at the foot of the table, with Alaves sitting just two points above third-bottom Las Palmas in the table.
The Basque club are in decent form, with just two defeats in their last eight games, so they will fancy their chances of moving further clear of danger.
How the bookies view it: Atletico have the edge
This is a tricky one to call with Alaves in decent form but BoyleSports make Atletico Madrid their 21/20 favourites, with Alaves at 13/5 and the draw paying 2/1.
Recent head to head: A home run
Home advantage has been key in this fixture of late, with the last six meetings all ending in home wins. Atletico have drawn a blank on their last two visits to the Mendizorrotza but Simeone's side claimed a 2-1 win at the Metropolitano earlier this season in Madrid.
Players to watch: Alvarez on fire
Julian Alvarez has been the main man for Atletico this season and brought up one of our Super Singles by scoring against Rayo Vallecano in their last game. That took him past the 30-goal barrier and he's a decent 23/10 for anytime scorer at Paddy Power.
Veteran Kike Garcia has been the go-to guy for goals at Alaves this season and the 35-year-old is on 14 for the season. He's a best 14/5 at StarSports to add to that tally here.
Probable line-ups
Moroccan defender Abdel Abqar is set to miss out again for Deportivo Alaves while Atletico Madrid have a clean bill of health, with Simeone pretty much picking from a full squad.
Carlos Martin is on loan at Alaves from Atletico but La Liga rules don't stop loanees playing against their parent clubs and he featured in the clash at the Metropolitano earlier in the season.
Deportivo Alaves: A Sivera, Garces, Sanchez, Mourino, Tenaglia, Vicente, Blanco, Martin, Guridi, Conechny, Garcia.
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Llorent, Lenglet, Galan, Le Normand, Gallagher, De Paul, Barrios, Simeone, Sorloth, Alvarez.
Anything else catch the eye?
Alaves haven't been great entertainers of late, with their last five matches all seeing under 2.5 goals. Atletico are also renowned for having a tough defence to break down so I'd be surprised if we saw a lot of goals.
Under 2.5 strikes is tiny at just 1/2 though and adding on BTTS no only boosts the odds to 10/11 in a BoyleSports bet builder. The half-time draw is the same price and that's probably a safer bet.
Atletico have scored five winners after the 90th minute in La Liga this season and the goal they conceded at Las Palmas in their last away game also came at the death. Backing a goal after 70 minutes pays 5/6 with Bet365 for this one while Atletico are 4/6 to score last. Doubling those bets up pays 9/5 in a bet builder.
This La Liga match between Deportivo Alaves and Atletico Madrid will be played on and kick off at 13:00. Check below for our tipsters best Deportivo Alaves vs Atletico Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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