Athletic Club can reach 10 points and draw level with Alaves today

Athletic Club and Alaves meet today at 14:15 UTC at San Mamés, with sixth-placed Alaves three points above eighth-placed Athletic Club after six and five games respectively. Victor Garcia Verdura will referee a fixture shaped by availability concerns, including Athletic Club absences U. Egiluz and D. Vivian and Alaves' suspended F. Garces.

What's at stake

Athletic Club have seven points, while Alaves have 10, creating a direct table opportunity in Regular Season - 7. An Athletic Club win would take them to 10 points and level them with Alaves on the current totals; an Alaves victory would move them to 13 and leave Athletic Club on seven. Barcelona lead with 18 points, so the gap to the summit is already 11 points for Athletic Club and eight for Alaves.

The numbers

Athletic Club's home record is 1W 1D 1L, with five goals scored, four conceded and one clean sheet. Alaves are still without an away win, recording 0W 1D 1L with two goals scored, three conceded and no clean sheets. Their recent sequences also differ in length: Athletic Club's last five are Loss, Loss, Win, Win, Draw, while Alaves' last six are Win, Draw, Win, Win, Loss, Loss.

One to watch

L. Boyé is the clearest scoring reference in this fixture, with four goals in five appearances for Alaves. M. Díaz offers a second attacking measure, having scored three goals and supplied three assists in six appearances. Athletic Club's defensive absences add context, with D. Vivian ruled out by a hamstring injury and U. Egiluz missing because of a knee injury.

Why it matters

For Athletic Club, three points would erase Alaves' current three-point advantage and lift a team with seven points closer to the top six. For Alaves, a result would protect their position above Athletic Club, while a defeat would leave their away record at 0W 1D 1L only if the result is not a win; P. Canales and A. Manas are also questionable with muscle and injury concerns respectively.