Alaves appoint Abelardo after sacking Machin

Struggling LaLiga club Alaves have turned to their former coach Abelardo Fernandez again in a bid to boost their chances of avoiding relegation after dispensing with Pablo Machin.

Alaves, who are 16th in the standings and two points above relegation, said on Tuesday Abelardo would take charge until the end of the season. They had announced earlier in the day that Machin had been sacked, after losing 3-1 at Cadiz on Sunday.

Abelardo, who spent the final season of his playing career at Alaves, became coach in December 2017 and successfully steered them away from the relegation zone to finish 14th.

He led the club to finish 11th the following campaign before leaving. His last job was with Espanyol, who sacked him last June when they were facing relegation.

Machin had taken charge of Alaves at the start of the season and earned a stunning away win at champions Real Madrid plus a home draw with Barcelona, but could ultimately not convince the club hierarchy he was capable of keeping the team up.

Basement club Huesca decided to part ways with Michel in the early hours of Monday, shortly after losing 2-0 at home to Real Betis.

They had only one victory from 18 games this season since earning promotion in their first campaign under Michel, who also got his previous club Rayo Vallecano promoted to the top flight only to lose his job the next season.