0 Deportivo Alavés vs 3 FC Barcelona
Barcelona keen on bouncing back in Alaves clash after maiden defeat.
Alaves brace themselves for a daunting challenge against league leaders Barcelona, as they strive to avoid a third consecutive defeat in a fixture historically dominated by the Catalan giants.
Deportivo Alavés
After picking up seven points from their opening four matches [2W, 1D, & 0L], Alaves have now collected just three from the last four [1W, 0D, & 3L], experiencing two straight league defeats [WLWLL] for the first time this season. The Babazorros lost 2-0 to Getafe last time out in Luis García Plaza's 100th game as Alaves' manager, leaving them in 11th place on the La Liga table with 10 points [3W, 1D, & 4L] after eight matches.
However, things could get even worse for the Álava-based side as their next match is against league leaders Barcelona. The hosts have won only one of 21 La Liga matches against Barça in the 21st century [1W, 4D, & 15L], with only more losses to Real Madrid [31] than to Barcelona [24] in LL history.
A concerning trend for the Babazorros is their waning defensive solidity. After conceding only three goals in their first four La Liga matches, they have allowed nine goals in their last four games. Plaza is expected to line up a 4-2-3-1 formation with Toni Martínez in attack for Sunday's clash.
FC Barcelona
Barcelona got their first set of points on board in the UEFA Champions League with a comfortable 5-0 win over Swiss club Young Boys on Tuesday. Hansi Flick remarked that his team "must start matches stronger" despite winning by a large margin.
The victory helped the Blaugrana recover from their first league defeat of the season against Osasuna last Saturday, where Flick's side lost 4-2. However, the visitors remain at the top of the La Liga table despite that loss, sitting three points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid with 21 points from eight matches.
Getting back on track will be the aim for Barcelona when they visit Alaves on Sunday. They have a strong history there, winning six of their last seven visits. Generally, Barça have enjoyed their recent away trips to teams in the Basque region, losing just one of their last 28 La Liga games there while scoring in the last 15.
Flick will hope his team keeps up their fine scoring form, having scored 25 goals in eight matches already this season, the most by any team in the big five European leagues. It is also Barcelona's best scoring start to a La Liga campaign since 2016-17 when they scored 26 at this stage, making it their fourth-best in the 21st century.
A 4-2-3-1 formation with Robert Lewandowski in attack is expected on Sunday.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.