Alaves will welcome Basque rivals Real Sociedad to Mendizorrotza Stadium on Wednesday night, with the pair battling for a spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
Real Sociedad have won this competition on two occasions, with their last success coming in 2019-20, while Alaves have been in the final once before (2017).
Alaves' only appearance in the final of the Copa del Rey came in the 2016-17 season, when they took on Barcelona, suffering a 3-1 defeat to the Catalan outfit.
The Blue and Whites are therefore looking to create history this season, going in search of their first-ever Copa del Rey title, and they have been impressive in the 2025-26 tournament, winning four matches to reach this stage.
Indeed, Eduardo Coudet's side have overcome Deportivo Getxo, Portugalete, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano to book a spot in the quarter-finals.
Alaves will enter this match off the back of an excellent result in La Liga, beating Espanyol 2-1, which made it back-to-back successes in Spain's top flight.
The Basque outfit are currently 10th in the La Liga table, only three points behind eighth-placed Real Sociedad, and this is shaping up to be a fascinating battle in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
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Real Sociedad will enter the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in the Basque derby, but they came so close to securing all three points.
Pellegrino Matarazzo's side lead 1-0 until the 88th minute of the match, when Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta came up with a leveller; La Real are now unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions, though, dating back to December 12.
Real Sociedad, as mentioned, are now up in eighth spot in La Liga, six points off sixth-placed Espanyol, and they are looking to win the Copa del Rey trophy for just the third time in their history this season.
La Real won the competition in 1986-87 and 2019-20, while they have been present in four further finals, but their overall performance in the tournament has been disappointing considering their stature.
Real Sociedad have actually lost their last three matches against Alaves, including a 1-0 reverse when the pair locked horns in La Liga in December.
Alaves Copa del Rey form:
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Alaves form (all competitions):
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Real Sociedad Copa del Rey form:
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Real Sociedad form (all competitions):
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Alaves remain without the services of Nikola Maras due to a long-term knee injury, while Denis Suarez has a muscular issue and is unlikely to feature.
Toni Martinez and Lucas Boye were excellent as the front two in the team's win over Espanyol last time out, and the pair should continue in the final third of the field.
However, there are expected to be changes elsewhere, with Yusi in line to feature at left-back, while Jon Guridi and Abde Rebbach could also be in the XI.
As for Real Sociedad, Ander Barrentxea, Takefusa Kubo, Arsen Zakharyan, Inaki Ruperez and Unai Marrero will miss the match due to injury problems.
Duje Caleta-Car will be back in the squad after serving a suspension against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, but Brais Mendez is banned due to his red card in the Basque derby.
Head coach Matarazzo is expected to stick with the bulk of the players that took to the field for the first whistle against Athletic Bilbao, but there could be a spot in the final third of the field for Orri Oskarsson.
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Tenaglia, Protesoni, Pacheco, Yusi; Calebe, Guridi, Guevara, Rebbach; Martinez, Boye
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Martin, Zubeldia, Gomez; Guedes, Gorrotxategi, Soler, Marin; Oskarrson, Oyarzabal
This is such a difficult match to call, and it would certainly not be a surprise to see Real Sociedad secure a spot in the semi-finals. Alaves have been excellent in their last two matches, though, and we believe that the home side could edge a close match here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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