Quique Sánchez Flores heads to Mendizorroza as Alavés rebuilds

Alavés take on Valencia at Mendizorroza this Tuesday at 20:00 in a clash that hinges on the “interim coach effect.” As MARCA reports, the visiting side comes in with Quique Sánchez Flores directing the project, while Óscar Sánchez — the man tasked with turning things around at Alavés — has only had one training session before the match.

Interim coach vs form

The timing of this game is loaded for Alavés. After a run of poor results, Carlos Corberán and Ron Gourlay were dismissed over the weekend. Now, following their first defeat of the campaign at Santander, the idea is to quickly reset and deliver a different version on the pitch.

MARCA expects selection changes to give the squad “air”: Valentini, Yusi, Aleñá and Toni Martínez could feature in the starting XI. Mañas won’t be available after suffering a concussion in the game against Racing.

Valencia, meanwhile, arrive as one of the season’s early surprises, with Quique Flores leaning heavily on Mendizorroza, where MARCA notes his team has previously won three matches.

Injuries, defensive doubts

MARCA also underlines the difficulties Óscar Sánchez faces: Valencia have multiple injuries, and with just one training session, the turnover shouldn’t be drastic. Recoveries like Guido and Rioja may help late on, but the biggest concern is defence. Only De Haas is available as a natural central defender after returning, and even his readiness isn’t expected to be ideal.

The midfield could decide the tempo at Mendizorroza, with MARCA pointing to the matchup Antonio Blanco vs. Javi Guerra — both wearing the number 8 and operating as modern central midfielders.

Finally, MARCA stresses that after the coaching change at Valencia, the usual prediction logic becomes less reliable, making the outcome more open than it looked before.