Barcelona vs Alaves – News and Probable Lineups

Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats when they host Alaves in their next La Liga match on Saturday evening.

The side from Catalonia heads into this fixture following a 2-1 defeat against Real Madrid in El Clasico, while Alaves played out a 1-1 draw with Malaga in their previous match in Spain’s top division.

Match overview

Barcelona started the 2026-27 season strongly with 11 consecutive wins, but they are now on a two-match losing streak, having fallen 4-2 to reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on October 20, followed by a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in La Liga.

Under Hansi Flick’s management, Barcelona maintains the top position in the La Liga standings with 27 points, but they now find themselves just two points ahead of Atletico Madrid in second and three points above Real Madrid in third, highlighting the importance of last Sunday’s result in El Clasico.

Before the November international break, Barcelona is scheduled to play three more matches: following this fixture, they will face Aston Villa at home in the Champions League next week, followed by a crucial match against Atletico Madrid in La Liga on November 8.

Historically, Barcelona has claimed victory in 36 of their last 51 encounters against Alaves across all competitions, but in their last meeting in May, Alaves secured a narrow 1-0 win.

Barcelona has not lost at home to Alaves since September 2016, and it would be a significant setback for Flick’s squad if they were to suffer a third consecutive defeat this weekend.

Alaves has recorded three wins, three draws, and four losses from their ten league matches this season, which places them seventh in the table with 12 points.

Quique Sanchez Flores’ side comes into this match after a 1-1 draw with Malaga, extending their winless run in Spain’s top division to six matches.

The Blue and Whites have not celebrated a victory in La Liga since early September, when they triumphed 5-2 over Osasuna at home.

Last season, Alaves finished 14th in La Liga, merely one point above the relegation zone, indicating that there is significant room for improvement this season.

Interestingly, Alaves has conceded the same number of goals as Barcelona (11) in La Liga this term, yet they have only scored 14 compared to Barcelona’s impressive total of 40.

Team News

Barcelona has received the unfortunate news that Xavi Espart will be sidelined for approximately seven weeks due to an ankle injury sustained during the match against Real Madrid last weekend.

This situation is likely to lead to Alejandro Balde making his first start of the season, as the 23-year-old is expected to be given the opportunity to revitalize his career at Camp Nou.

In addition to Espart, Dani Olmo (adductor), Roony Bardghji (knee), and Eric Garcia (thigh) are unavailable, while Jules Kounde (ankle) and Andreas Christensen (thigh) remain doubtful for the La Liga champions.

Despite Frenkie de Jong’s recent return to fitness, Fermin Lopez, Rodri, and Pedri are likely to continue as the midfield trio on Saturday.

As for Alaves, Facundo Garces (knee) and Mikel Rodriguez (knee) are out, but the away side otherwise looks in strong shape for their encounter with Barcelona.

Lucas Boye has been in fantastic form for Alaves this season, netting five goals in nine appearances, and the 30-year-old is expected to play a crucial role in the attacking phase of the game.

Furthermore, former Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz is set to start again in the central role, having contributed three goals and four assists so far this season in ten outings.

Barcelona probable starting XI:

J Garcia; Cancelo, Cubarsi, Martin, Balde; Fermin, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Gordon

Alaves probable starting XI:

Sivera; Perez, Tenaglia, Koski, Valentini, Rebbach; Alena, Blanco, Ibanez; Diaz, Boye

Barcelona needs to secure a win after their consecutive defeats, and we anticipate that Flick’s team will manage to get back to winning ways at Camp Nou on Saturday evening.