Match preview

Barcelona were in sensational form in La Liga last weekend, recording a 7-1 win over Valencia, but that success proved to be just the second victory in Spain's top flight since the start of November.

Indeed, the Catalan giants have won just two of their last nine in the league, suffering four defeats in the process, which has seen them lose vital ground at the top of the division, with both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid ahead of them.

Real Madrid and Atletico both play on Saturday this weekend, so there is a chance that Barcelona could be 10 points off the summit and six points off second by the time that they take to the field, demonstrating the importance of this fixture.

Flick's side will enter the match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Atalanta BC in their final match in the league phase of the Champions League, and a successful campaign saw them claim second spot in the overall table.

Barcelona now simply must put together a run of wins in the league - it would be a shock to see them lose on Sunday, but three defeats have already been suffered at their temporary home during the 2024-25 campaign, while Alaves' last win over the Catalan giants actually came on their travels during the 2016-17 season.

Alaves are on a four-game losing run against Barcelona, including a 3-0 reverse earlier this season, but they did hold the Catalan side to a 1-1 draw in this fixture during the 2021-22 La Liga campaign.

El Glorioso finished 10th in Spain's top flight last term, which represented an excellent season, but it has been more difficult for the Basque outfit to pick up positive results in 2024-25, and they currently sit towards the bottom of the division.

Indeed, Eduardo Coudet's side boast a record of five wins, six draws and 10 defeats from 21 matches, with 21 points leaving them in 17th, only one point above 18th-placed Espanyol on the same number of games.

Alaves have actually only lost one of their last seven in the league, though, and they have picked up four points from their last two matches, beating Real Betis 3-1 in Seville before holding Celta Vigo last time out.

The Basque side are also unbeaten in their last three league games on their travels, and they will be the fresher of the two sides, with Barcelona involved in a high-energy Champions League contest on Wednesday night.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Alaves possible starting lineup:

Owono; Tenaglia, Mourino, Diarra, M Sanchez; Guevara, Benavidez; Vicente, Guridi, Conechny; Kike Garcia