Barcelona vs Alaves Preview: Team News & Prediction
by Alex Lawes ·
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Defending champions and league leaders at the start of the match day, Barcelona, look to bounce back against Deportivo Alaves at Camp Nou.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / USA – ESPN have the exclusive rights to La Liga games in the USA, so any game may be televised on one of their affiliated channels
How to watch online: UK – Disney+ / USA – ESPN+
Barcelona preview: Need to bounce back
Barcelona had been relentlessly impressive across all competitions in the opening couple of matches at the start of this season with 11 successive victories in which they had managed to score 48 goals.
However, the Blaugrana succumbed to a 4-2 defeat to back-to-back European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League before then losing the Clasico against Real Madrid in Catalonia last weekend.
Alaves preview: Out of form
After a bright start to the campaign, Deportivo Alaves have underwhelmed for a while now and a bit of pressure is growing on Quique Sanchez Flores as the Basque outfit drift out of the top six ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures.
Alaves’ 1-1 draw with still winless and rock-bottom Malaga at Mendizorroza last weekend means that they are now winless in their last six matches in La Liga after beginning the season by collecting ten points from their opening four games.
Barcelona team news: Defenders could return
Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia missed the Clasico and are working their way back but Xavi Espart has now been ruled out after being forced off against Madrid due to an ankle injury.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Alex Balde; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermin, Adeyemi; Raphinha
Unavailable: Christensen (Injured), Xavi Espart (Injured), Dani Olmo (Injured), Bardghji (Injured)
Questionable: Eric Garcia (Fitness), Kounde (Fitness)
Alaves team news: Nothing fresh
Summer signing Mikel Rodriguez remains sidelined for Alaves this weekend alongside fellow long-term absentee Facundo Garces but there are no fresh injury concerns or absentees just yet.
Predicted XI (3-5-2): Antonio Sivera; Tenaglia, Koski, Valentini; Angel Perez, Pablo Ibanez, Antonio Blanco, Carles Alena, Rebbach; Lucas Boye, Mariano
Unavailable: Garces (Injured), Mikel Rodriguez (Injured)
Questionable:
Key stats
- Coming into Matchweek 11, Barcelona top the table with 27 points, two ahead of Atlético, while Alavés have 12 points from ten games.
- Barcelona's 40 goals from their first ten games is the most by any team at this stage of a La Liga season since 1997/98 – the previous best was 37 by Real Madrid in 2014/15.
- Barcelona won their first nine games this season – no team had won its first nine La Liga games of a season since 1997/98 (previous best: eight, by Barcelona and Atlético in 2013/14).
- Last weekend's 2-1 home defeat by Real Madrid ended a 23-game home winning run dating back to 14 September 2025, their second-longest since 1997/98 behind 25 in 2012-14.
- Barcelona have scored in 36 consecutive home La Liga games since 21 December 2024.
- Barcelona are the only side with a perfect away record this season (five wins, 22 goals scored), and their games have averaged 5.10 goals.
- Barcelona lead the head-to-head W21 D4 L5 in 30 La Liga meetings since 1997/98, but Alavés won the most recent 1-0 at home on 13 May 2026.
- Alavés have won only two of their 15 La Liga visits to Barcelona since 1997/98 (D1 L12), the most recent 2-1 on 10 September 2016.
- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last eight home games against Alavés (W7 D1) and have scored in 13 consecutive home meetings.
- Barcelona's joint-biggest wins in the fixture are 7-1 at home in January 1999 and 6-0 away in February 2017.
- Alavés are winless in six (D2 L4) since a 5-2 home win over Osasuna on 6 September, and winless in all four away games this season (D2 L2).
- Barcelona have won 173 of their 233 home La Liga games on a Saturday since 1997/98 (W173 D35 L25).
‘Key stats’ are La Liga only (not all competitions)
Barcelona vs Alaves prediction
Alaves have been quite fun to watch generally under the management of Quique Sanchez Flores but the former Watford boss has begun to lose his touch and a draw with Malaga last week was perhaps their weakest performance of the campaign. Barca were far from their fluent best against Madrid last week with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal both overcomplicating things in a game whereby they were stifled by Los Blancos. They should bounce back, though, with another comfortable victory this weekend.
Barcelona vs Alaves tip: Barcelona to win -1 handicap
