The Almoravids took Colmenar de Oreja as their base in the east and Calatrava la Vieja in the south.
Almoravid forces raided Tagus and tried to isolate Toleda; however, they did not attempt to hold on to the forts they captured; instead, they destroyed them.
In the early morning of the next day, a few Almoravid horsemen appeared before the castle of Alamin, near Escalona.
The Almoravids made a ruse, attempting to steal cattle in the countryside and flee to provoke the Castilians.
The governor of Toledo, Gutierre Armíldez, who was at Alamin Castle, set out with a force of 40 knights to pursue them.