Ángel Pérez suspended: Quique Sánchez Flores reshapes Alavés' right flank

Deportivo Alavés coach Quique Sánchez Flores will have to tweak his starting XI this Sunday at Balaídos because Ángel Pérez is unavailable due to suspension. The Zaragoza-born winger was shown a red card on Saturday against Atlético Madrid after a hard challenge on Julián Álvarez; VAR overruled the initial call and Alavés played the last half hour with ten men.

Since joining in March, Ángel Pérez has been the go-to name on the right side, starting 19 of the 20 league matches Quique has managed. The only time he wasn’t in the starting eleven was three weeks ago in San Mamés, where Quique rotated with a conservative 5-3-2 and Tenaglia used as the wide midfielder.

With Pérez out, the first decision is the formation. If Alavés go with a 4-4-2, Tenaglia could slide to full-back, while Ville Koski, Valentini and Jonny would cover the central line. If Quique opts for a 5-3-2, the plan could shift: Abde Rebbach on the opposite side and Yusi coming into the left-wide role. (Marca)