FC Barcelona (3rd, 42pts) vs Deportivo Alavés (17th, 21pts)*
*Standings at time of writing
Competition/Round: 2024-25 La Liga, Matchday 22
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal (out), Iñigo Martínez (doubt)
Alavés Outs & Doubts: Abdelkabir Aqbar (out), Antonio Sivera, Joan Jordán (doubt)
Date/Time: Sunday, February 2, 2025, 2pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 1pm GMT (UK), 8am ET, 5am PT (USA), 6.30pm IST (India)
Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Montjuïc, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero
VAR: Juan Luis Pulido Santana
How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), SuperSport (Nigeria), Premier Sports 1 (UK), Movistar (Spain), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), GXR World (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following an entertaining draw against Atalanta to wrap up the first part of their European campaign this season in midweek, Barcelona turn their attentions back to La Liga when they meet Deportivo Alavés at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Barça come into this one having completed the mission of finishing in the Top 2 of the inaugural League Phase of the Champions League, and they can now focus solely on domestic matters over the next month.
There’s a big Copa del Rey quarter-final away to Valencia on the horizon, but the main objective in the next four weeks is to stay alive in the title race by doing their homework while hoping that Real Madrid, who have a monster European playoff against Manchester City to worry about this month, continue to drop points along the way and let Barça back in the fight.
The Catalans cannot afford any slip-ups in the league, especially against relegation candidates at home. They did a lot of that early in the season, but showed a ton of strength last week by dominating Valencia and scoring seven goals with authority in front of the Montjuïc crowd.
They have the same task this Sunday against an Alavés side that may be fighting against the drop but have lost just once since November, a run that includes a big win away to Real Betis last month. They are definitely not the most talented team in the league but are well organized at the back and always compete until the very last minute, and have a real goalscoring threat in striker Kike García.
Barça could be looking at another Las Palmas or Leganés situation if they are not careful, and they can’t take this one for granted. They must replicate the performance against Valencia and establish their superiority from the start, and not allow Alavés to have any hope in the game.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsí, Martín; Casadó, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Alavés (4-2-3-1): Owono; Tenaglia, Mouriño, Diarra, Sánchez; Blanco, Guevara; Vicente, Guridi, Conechny; García
PREDICTION
Barça showed strength against Valencia last week and sent a statement that they’re not out of the race just yet, and I trust they’ll do the same again this time: 3-0 to the good guys.
Barcelona will face Alavés in a highly-anticipated La Liga clash this weekend. Both teams will be looking to secure a vital victory as they continue their quest for success in the Spanish top-flight.
Team News:
Barcelona will be without the services of star forward Lionel Messi, who is sidelined with an injury. However, they will still have a strong squad at their disposal, with players like Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong, and Ansu Fati ready to step up and make an impact.
On the other hand, Alavés will be boosted by the return of key players such as Joselu and Lucas Pérez. They will be looking to capitalize on Barcelona’s defensive vulnerabilities and secure a positive result in this fixture.
Preview:
Barcelona will be eager to bounce back from their recent disappointing results and put on a strong performance against Alavés. They will be looking to dominate possession and create scoring opportunities through their intricate passing and movement.
Alavés, on the other hand, will be looking to frustrate Barcelona and hit them on the counter-attack. They will be organized defensively and look to capitalize on any mistakes made by the Catalan giants.
Lineups:
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Araujo, Lenglet, Dest, Alba, Busquets, De Jong, Pedri, Dembélé, Griezmann, Fati.
Alavés: Pacheco, Navarro, Lejeune, Laguardia, Duarte, Battaglia, Pina, Deyverson, Pérez, Rioja, Joselu.
Score Prediction:
Barcelona will be the favorites to win this match, but Alavés will provide a tough challenge. I predict a 2-1 victory for Barcelona, with Griezmann and Fati getting on the scoresheet for the home side. However, Alavés will put up a strong fight and make it a close contest until the final whistle.
Tags:
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