Alaves vs Barcelona Preview, Prediction, Team News, and Lineups | La Liga, October 6, 2024

Alaves vs Barcelona Preview

Tournament: La Liga

Date: Sunday, October 6, 2024

Time: 2:15 pm GMT

Venue: Mendizorrotza Stadium

Deportivo Alaves will host Barcelona in their final La Liga clash before the upcoming October break. This could be an important match for both sides as they look to go into the break on a winning note.

Alaves are 11^th in the La Liga table with three wins, one draw, and four defeats in their eight league games. They have lost three and won three of their last six games and will look to cause Barcelona problems at home on Sunday.

Barca, meanwhile, sit atop the league table with seven wins and one defeat so far. Their one defeat came in their last league game as they lost 4-2 against Osasuna away. However, they bounced back to beat Young Boys 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League. Hansi Flick will look to avoid further slip-ups heading into the international break.

Alaves Team News

Hugo Novoa’s availability is again in doubt for Alaves, but the home side is generally in fantastic form, so head coach Garcia faces some difficult selections. He may stick with the same starting lineup as against Getafe, with Toni Martinez expected to play through the middle and Joan Jordan continuing in central midfield.

Barcelona Team News

Barcelona have a host of injuries. Andreas Christensen, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Gavi, Inigo Martinez, and Ronald Araujo are all out. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is out for the season due to an ACL injury while Marc Bernal is also expected to miss almost the entire season.

Most of these players, though, are expected to be back after the international break or by early November at the latest.

Alaves vs Barcelona Predicted Lineups

Alaves predicted lineup:

Goalkeeper: Antonio Sivera

Defenders: Moussa Diara, Aleksandar Sedlar, Abdelkabir Abqar, Nahuel Tenaglia

Midfielders: Carlos Protesoni, Joan Jordan, Stoichkov

Attackers: Carlos Martin, Toni Martinez, Carlos Vicente

Barcelona predicted lineup:

Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny

Defenders: Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alex Balde

Midfielders: Marc Casado, Pedri, Raphinha

Attackers: Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres

Alaves vs Barcelona H2H Record

Barcelona have won 14 times in their previous 17 meetings. Alaves have won just once and two of their games have ended in a draw.

Last 5 results:

Alaves 1-3 Barcelona – La Liga – February 3, 2024

Barcelona 2-1 Alaves – La Liga – November 12, 2023

Alaves 0-1 Barcelona – La Liga – January 24, 2022

Barcelona 1-1 Alaves – La Liga – October 31, 2021

Barcelona 5-1 Alaves – La Liga – February 14, 2021

Also Read: Real Madrid vs Villarreal Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | La Liga, October 5, 2024

Key Players to watch in Alaves vs Barcelona

Antonio Martinez

Deportivo Alaves signed Antonio Martinez from FC Porto in the summer. He has played just five games for them, starting two, and is already their joint top-scorer with two goals.

Martinez has previously played in Spain with the likes of Real Valladolid and Valencia and will be keen to make his mark on the league this time around. He started on the bench against Real Madrid but is likely to start against Barcelona.

Raphinha

Raphinha has been in the form of his life for Barcelona this season under Hansi Flick. He’s scored six goals and provided four assists in 10 games across competitions. He has largely played as an attacking midfielder or on the left wing and excelled in the role.

Almost every Barcelona attack goes through the Brazilian and he will be keen to keep the run going against Alaves. The club will also look towards him to ease some attacking loans from youngster Lamine Yamal. Overall, he’s registered 26 goals and 29 assists in 97 games for Barca since arriving from Leeds United in 2022.

Alaves vs Barcelona Prediction

Both sides come into the game on the back of defeats. Alaves lost 2-0 against Getafe away, having lost their previous game 3-2 against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. They showed some promise against Los Blancos but the defeat against Getafe could be costly.

Barcelona, meanwhile, lost 4-2 against Osasuna in their last league game. Hansi Flick made a host of changes to the starting XI, choosing to rest their star players. It backfired big time and he restored them in the win over Young Boys.

Barca are likely to return to their strongest XI against Alaves on Sunday and that should help them earn all three points. The likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal could feast on the opportunity if Alaves attempt to take the game to Barcelona at home.

Predicted Score: Alaves 1-2 Barcelona

Also Read: Brighton vs Spurs Prediction, Preview, Team News, and Lineups | Premier League, October 6, 2024

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