Football Bet of the Day: Spanish strugglers to catch the eye

Basement battle could be fun

Elche v Alaves
Tuesday 11 May, 19:00
Live on Premier Sports 1

Hamburg finally came to life in the Bundesliga 2. promotion battle, although it could be too little, too late for them. Their 5-2 win over Nurnberg last night was an annoying way to start the week for us, but we move on.

We're off to Spain now, because Elche are taking on Alaves in a massive clash at the sharp end of La Liga, and I think both defences could falter.

Alaves, who Liverpool fans will always think of warmly after that crazy nine-goal thriller in the 2001 UEFA Cup final, are still in danger of being dragged into the dropzone before the season's end. A 3-0 hammering at Eibar in their last away game was a disastrous result, and they needed a late Joselu leveller to grab a point from the weekend's 2-2 draw with Levante. They find themselves just two points above the dropzone with three rounds of matches left.

Defending has been a real problem for Alaves all season. They have leaked 54 goals in 35 games, and only Granada have a worse record. Away from home, they have managed just three clean sheets on the road all season.

Elche are in the relegation zone, but they know a win will take them above tonight's opponents. They also have a poor defensive record (52 goals leaked in 35 games), and they have managed just one clean sheet in their last 13 outings. Both teams have scored in 10 of their last 15 home games, and in 19 of their 35 matches overall.

If you look at Alaves' season, a BTTS bet has landed in 19 of their 35 games, and I think 2.26/5 is an attractive price in this market for a game between two sides who have struggled to keep the ball out of the net all season.