Real Madrid vs Alaves Prediction: We like BTTS in the Second Half

Our La Liga Tipster enjoyed a good Copa del Rey Final with both his selections coming in at 5/6 and 19/10 respectively. It is back to league action for him tonight as Real Madrid takes on Alaves. Premier Sports 1 at 20:00 for UK viewers.

Mark previews the action and gives us his top two Real Madrid vs Alaves Predictions plus all the team news, predicted line-ups and stats...

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Real Madrid vs Alaves Preview:

Following the conclusion of an epic Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid return to league action on Tuesday. Relegation-threatened Alavés are the visitors to the Santiago Bernabéu. 

With Los Blancos trailing Barcelona by nine points in La Liga, their hopes of silverware effectively ended with the two late goals they conceded at the Allianz Arena. Having been left incensed by Eduardo Camavinga's 86th-minute red card, Real Madrid's hard work was undone in the dying stages as the Bavarians sealed a 6-4 aggregate win. 

Álvaro Arbeloa would have been happy with his team's performance, as they threatened throughout on the break against arguably the best side in Europe. However, the outcome was still a third defeat in four games, and already the seventh loss of his brief reign that is not even four months old. 

It's hard to see Arbeloa being in charge on the opening day of next season, although there is no one outstanding candidate to replace him, unless Jürgen Klopp can be convinced to return to management. 

Regardless of who is in the dugout, many of Real Madrid's big-name players will also need to take a look in the mirror. A star-studded squad is set for another trophyless year. Their ability to beat Manchester City and push Bayern all the way, yet stumble to defeats against the likes of Osasuna and Getafe since the start of last month raises many questions. 

Some of those are systemic. They're clearly a team that is more comfortable against opponents who push up and leave space for the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior. However, against some of the lesser sides in La Liga, their work-rate and commitment to the cause has also been questioned. 

Motivation won't be an issue for Alavés. They find themselves in 17th place and in the thick of a tight relegation scrap. The promoted clubs currently occupy the bottom three places, but there are only three points separating the sides between 18th and 13th. 

It has been an eventful few months at Mendizorrotza. Chacho Coudet was doing a solid job, but took up the opportunity to become the new River Plate boss at the start of March. The Basque club turned to the experienced Quique Sánchez Flores to steer them towards the finish line in the 2025/26 season. 

Alavés have picked up six points from five games under the new man. However, that only tells half the story, with their outings so far under the former Watford boss packed with incident and drama. 

Sánchez Flores returned to Valencia, another of his former employers, for his first game. Los Babazorros were leading that match 2-1 heading into the 90th minute, but conceded twice late on to lose, while they also had two players sent off in stoppage time. 

They then wasted another great chance to win, conceding a 98th-minute equaliser in their home game against Villarreal. That was followed by an extraordinary game in Vigo, as Alavés came from 3-0 down to win 4-3, with Toni Martínez scoring twice. 

Their two matches since then have also featured late drama, with Sánchez Flores' side scoring 91st and 98th-minute goals to snatch draws against local rivals Osasuna and Real Sociedad. 

*You can check out all of our Football Odds over on betfred.com

Team News: 

Raúl Asencio is a fresh absentee for Real Madrid due to a bout of gastroenteritis. They are also still missing Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo to injuries. 

Arbeloa could opt for at least a couple of changes to the side that lost in Munich. The more attack-minded Álvaro Carreras may return at left-back, while Aurélien Tchouaméni is available again following a European suspension. 

As for Alavés, they're missing winger Abde Rebbach, who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out. Carlos Benavídez is the only injury absentee. 

January signing Ibrahim Diabate was preferred to top scorer Lucas Boyé in the 3-3 draw against Real Sociedad. However, Boyé still came off the bench to net the equaliser, and that presents the visiting boss with a selection dilemma up front. 

Match Odds: 

Real Madrid are the 2/7 favourites to claim their first win since before the international break. The Draw is on offer at 9/2, while you can back Alavés to claim a shock victory at 17/2. 

If you're expecting plenty of action, Both teams to score is priced at 5/6. You can also back Real Madrid to win and Over 3.5 goals at 6/4, while the hosts are priced at 1/1 to score over 2.5 goals. 

You can back Alavés to score at least once in this match at odds of 8/11. The visitors are given a 3/1 chance of winning either half, while they're priced at 7/1 to score in both halves. 

Unsurprisingly, it's Mbappé who leads the way as the 7/4 favourite to score first, while he's on offer at 2/5 to score anytime. The Frenchman netted in both legs against Bayern, but has only struck once in his last four outings in La Liga. 

Alternative options in the Anytime Goalscorer market include Vinícius at 21/20 and in-form Fede Valverde at 11/4. From a visiting perspective, you can back Martínez to net anytime at 3/1, while Boyé is priced at 23/10. 

*You can place a bet on this match and check out all of our Real Madrid vs Alaves Odds over on betfred.com

Bet 1 - Toni Martínez 1+ shots on target & Over 2.5 goals @ 5/4 via Bet Builder

If Alavés' recent matches are anything to go by, this should be a good watch. There have been 24 goals in their five matches so far under the guidance of Sánchez Flores, with an even split between goals for and against the Basque side. 

Having failed to keep a clean sheet in La Liga since early December, Alavés don't look solid enough at the back to keep this Real Madrid attack quiet. The visitors should ask questions of their own, though. 

Martínez is a real handful up front, with his average of 4.7 aerial challenges won per game the best record in the Spanish top flight. The 28-year-old has scored three times in his last three matches. 

Given that, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Toni Martínez to have 1+ shots on target and Over 2.5 goals at 5/4. 

Bet 2 - Second half - Both teams to score @ 5/2 

There have been nine goals scored in the 80th minute or later in the last seven Alavés games. Six of those came in the 90th minute or stoppage time, so punters may be advised to pay attention to this match until the very final whistle. 

There have also been plenty of second-half goals in Real Madrid's recent games. All of their last four in La Liga have seen both teams score after the break, with Los Blancos guilty of a number of late lapses in concentration. 

They'll clearly be going all out for three points here, given they'll likely need to win all of their remaining fixtures to stand any chance of competing for the title. That could be the recipe for an open second half against a more attacking Alavés side than we saw earlier in the campaign. I'm backing both teams to score after the break at 5/2. 

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...