Barcelona will be aiming to bounce back from their first La Liga defeat of the season when they head to Mendizorrotza Stadium on Sunday afternoon to tackle Alaves.
The visitors were beaten 4-2 by Osasuna last weekend, but they remain at the top of the table, picking up 21 points from their first eight games, while Alaves are down in 11th spot.
Match preview
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Alaves finished 10th in La Liga last season on their return to the top flight, and it has been a solid start to the new campaign for the Basque outfit, picking up 10 points from eight matches to sit in 11th spot in the table.
Luis Garcia's side boast a record of three wins, one draw and four defeats from their first eight games, while they have already found the back of the net on 11 occasions, and the goals have been spread around.
The early indications are that Alaves will again be fine in terms of securing safety, but their recent form is a touch concerning, losing three of their last four, including their last two to Real Madrid and Getafe.
The Blue and Whites have lost each of their last three league games with Barcelona, while they have not managed to overcome the Catalan giants in Spain's top flight since September 2016, which is an indication of the size of their task in this weekend's contest.
Alaves will be the much fresher of the two sides, though, due to Barcelona's European commitments, and Osasuna had a lot of success against the injury-hit division leaders last weekend.
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Barcelona were stunned by Osasuna in La Liga last weekend, conceding four in a poor performance, but they bounced back in style in the Champions League on Tuesday, recording a 5-0 victory over Young Boys.
Taking into consideration the team's injury issues, it has been a hugely encouraging start to the 2024-25 campaign, with new head coach Hansi Flick already making a big impression at the helm.
Barcelona won their opening seven games of the 2024-25 La Liga campaign, so they have collected 21 points, which is enough for first spot in the table, three points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid.
The Catalan side are comfortably the leading goalscorers in La Liga this season, finding the back of the net on 25 occasions, and Robert Lewandowski has been excellent this season, scoring nine times in 10 appearances, demonstrating that he remains one of the best forwards in world football.
Barcelona will certainly not underestimate Alaves, but they have won 24 of their previous 36 La Liga games against Sunday's opponents and are unbeaten against them away from home since December 2001.
Team News
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Alaves again have a doubt surrounding the availability of Hugo Novoa, but the home side are otherwise in excellent shape, so head coach Garcia has a number of big decisions to make.
It is possible that he could keep faith with the side that started against Getafe last time out, with Toni Martinez likely to operate through the middle, while Joan Jordan is set to continue in central midfield.
Carlos Vicente has scored twice in seven La Liga appearances this season, and the 25-year-old is expected to operate in a wide area, while Antonio Sivera will again be given the nod between the sticks.
As for Barcelona, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Gavi will again be unavailable for selection due to injury problems.
Inigo Martinez has declared himself fit after an injury scare, though, and there will also be a return to the squad for Eric Garcia, who was suspended against Young Boys in the Champions League.
Garcia for Ferran Torres may be the only change to the side that started last time out, with Inaki Pena set to continue between the sticks, but new signing Wojciech Szczesny has a slight chance of being in the squad, with the Polish goalkeeper already training with the first-team group.
Frenkie de Jong made his return from a long-term ankle injury off the bench against Young Boys, and the Dutchman could again feature as a substitute this weekend.
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Tenaglia, Abqar, Sedlar, Diarra; Jordan, Benavidez; Vicente, Stoichkov, Martin; T Martinez
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Casado, E Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
We say: Alaves 0-2 Barcelona
This has the potential to be a tricky match for Barcelona, and the league leaders might have to remain patient, but we are fully expecting them to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight courtesy of a routine success.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
