Barcelona vs Deportivo Alaves

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys sets the stage for a lopsided La Liga showdown between Barcelona and Deportivo Alaves.

Despite wasting two second-half leads in a 2-2 home draw against Atalanta, Barcelona secured automatic last-16 qualification in the Champions League. That result extended Barca’s unbeaten streak in all competitions to eight games (W6, D2), yet that’s not the whole picture. Indeed, Hansi Flick’s men have emerged victorious from only two of their last nine outings in La Liga (D3, L4), falling seven points behind leaders Real Madrid pre-round. Alaves’ visit is well-timed then, especially considering ‘Los Blaugranas’ have won 12 of their last 14 top-flight H2Hs, including a comprehensive 3-0 win in October’s reverse fixture. Yet, the hosts haven’t fared well on their temporary home ground lately, losing three consecutive league matches at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys before a 7-1 demolition of Valencia last time out. 

Meanwhile, head coach Eduardo Coudet has seemingly found a cure for Alaves’ travel sickness, with his side going from six consecutive defeats on the road to a three-game unbeaten away league run (W1, D2). Indeed, Alaves pulled off an impressive 3-1 win at Real Betis on their most recent La Liga trip. However, they failed to keep a clean sheet in that match, contributing to the division’s third-worst defensive away record of 22 goals conceded. Topically, ‘El Glorioso’ are without a clean sheet across their last 13 away league games, accounting for their worst such streak since failing to register a shutout in 22 in a row between 2021 and 2023!