Some matches invite caution. Racing de Santander vs Alavés does the opposite. At 14.00 hours in the Campos de Sport, this looks like a meeting between two sides far more comfortable going forward than sitting on their hands and hoping for the best.
That is exactly why it has the feel of a game likely to produce goals. Racing had already scored eight times in four matches, but they had also been forced into two comebacks. Alavés were even sharper at the top end: ten goals, ten points from twelve, and the sort of early-season rhythm that makes every opponent pay for hesitation. This is not a fixture built on restraint. It is built on risk.
Racing's habit is clear enough
Racing have been maintaining an offensive approach in Primera after doing the same in Segunda, and that matters. Teams do not simply flip a switch and become more careful because the occasion looks tricky. José Alberto’s side have shown they are willing to attack the game rather than manage it, and that makes them entertaining — but it also leaves them exposed when the balance goes wrong.
The two comebacks are the warning sign. If you are scoring regularly but still having to pull yourself back into matches, then the defensive structure is not doing enough of the heavy lifting. José Alberto said as much in his own way, stressing that the team needed to improve its defensive system and its play without the ball in a low block. That is not a throwaway point. It is the difference between a lively side and a genuinely reliable one.
Alavés arrive with the kind of numbers that demand respect
Alavés, meanwhile, have made an eye-catching start. Ten points from twelve possible is the sort of return that gives a squad immediate credibility. José Alberto was blunt enough to acknowledge the challenge, saying, in effect, that Alavés are a team that show very few weaknesses. That is the problem for Racing: if you are going to open the game up, you need to be sure the opponent cannot punish you back. Alavés have already shown they can.
The third round also offered a reminder of their edge, with Lucas Boyé scoring the goal that beat Villarreal. That kind of result changes the temperature around a team quickly. It tells opponents that Alavés are not simply surviving early-season fixtures — they are finding decisive moments in them.
So this is the real attraction of Racing-Alavés. It is not just the timing, or the venue, or the noise around two teams starting well. It is the likelihood that both will back themselves to land punches. Racing want to keep playing on the front foot. Alavés have the scoring touch and the points to make that confidence feel justified.
If the match becomes cagey, it will be a surprise. If it becomes open, it will be because neither side really knows how to play it any other way — and that is exactly why 14.00 hours in the Campos de Sport has been marked down as one to watch.
