Barcelona will aim to climb to the top of the La Liga table when they host Alaves at Camp Nou on Saturday afternoon. Hansi Flick’s side sit second in the league, one point behind leaders Real Madrid, while Alaves are in 14th place with 15 points from their first 13 games.
Barcelona returned to Camp Nou last weekend with a 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, but their momentum was halted by a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday, a result that highlighted the challenges facing Flick’s team on the European stage. Despite this setback, the Catalan giants have won their last three league matches, defeating Elche, Celta Vigo, and Athletic Bilbao since their 2-1 loss to Real Madrid on October 26.
The club now faces three consecutive La Liga matches against Alaves, Atletico Madrid, and Real Betis before their final Champions League fixture of the year at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, a game that has become essential for their European hopes. Historically, Barcelona have dominated Alaves, winning 35 of the previous 49 encounters, including a 1-0 win in the corresponding fixture last season.
Alaves, meanwhile, have lost each of their last five La Liga games against Barcelona and have not beaten the Catalan side since a 2-1 shock win at Camp Nou in September 2016. This season, the Basque club have won four, drawn three, and lost six of their 13 league games, placing them 14th in the table, just four points above 18th-placed Girona. Alaves finished 15th last season, so there is clear room for improvement, and the team has now competed in La Liga in nine of the last ten campaigns.
Eduardo Coudet’s side will enter the match relatively fresh and will look to exploit any fatigue or distraction from Barcelona following their midweek European outing. The Basque team will be keen to challenge the hosts and pick up valuable points in what could be a testing afternoon at Camp Nou.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Barcelona will be without Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Gavi due to ongoing injury issues, but the team will welcome back Pedri, who is expected to feature in the second half. The Spaniard has been sidelined since the end of October with a hamstring problem, and his return has been confirmed by Flick.
Changes are also expected in the attacking line, with Marcus Rashford likely to replace Robert Lewandowski, while Eric Garcia is set to slot into central defence for Ronald Araujo, who is unavailable due to illness. Fermin Lopez has also been ruled out with a muscular injury, opening the possibility for Dani Olmo to start in the number 10 role.
Alaves will be missing Facundo Garces, who is serving a lengthy suspension, and Nikola Maras, who is sidelined long-term with a serious knee injury. Calebe will be assessed after missing the previous game against Celta due to a knock, with a final decision expected on Friday.
Carlos Vicente has been the team’s most productive attacking player this season, scoring five goals and providing two assists in 14 appearances, and he is expected to retain a key role in the forward line.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
J Garcia; Kounde, E Garcia, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Casado; Yamal, Olmo, Rashford; Torres
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Otto, Tenaglia, Pacheco, Yusi; Vicente, Blanco, Suarez, Alena; Martinez, Boye
EXPERT PREDICTION
Barcelona 4-1 Alaves
