Barcelona vs Alaves preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

Barcelona have won eight of their last ten LaLiga matches and have been in excellent form at home. They are just one point behind Real Madrid, and are firm favourites to pile the misery on struggling Alaves this weekend.

Barcelona sit second in the league with 31 points from 13 games, having secured ten victories this season. This puts them 12 places and a significant 16 points clear of Alaves, who have only managed four wins and are just four points above the drop zone.

While Hansi Flick's men were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in the Champions League, this return to their home stadium is the ideal fixture for a confidence boost.

In stark contrast to the Blaugrana's strength, Alaves are struggling overall, losing three of their last four matches, and have fared poorly on the road, losing four of their last six away games.

With Marcus Rashford expected to return to the starting lineup, adding firepower to the attack, it is extremely difficult to look beyond a convincing win for the Catalan giants

Barcelona have won 35 of their previous 49 matches against Alaves, showing their dominance in this fixture, including a 1-0 victory at home last season.

Alaves have lost each of their last five La Liga matches against Barcelona, and have failed to beat the Blaugrana since 2016.

Barcelona will once again be missing German shot-stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and midfielders Gavi and Fermin, due to injury problems, but tempo-setting midfielder Pedri is expected to be fit enough to play some part in proceedings.

Meanwhile, Alaves will be without Facundo Garces, who is serving a lengthy suspension, while Nikola Maras is a long-term absentee due to a serious knee injury.

Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, E Garcia, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Casado; Yamal, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski

Alaves: Sivera; Otto, Tenaglia, Pacheco, Yusi; Vicente, Blanco, Suarez, Alena; Martinez, Boye

Barcelona have found the net in all 13 LaLiga fixtures this season, scoring 3+ goals on 4 different occasions. Hansi Flick's men will be eager to bounce back from that Chelsea defeat.

• Barcelona to win

• Over 2.5 goals

• Yamal to score anytime

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