Overview
Alaves has only lost 2 of their last 8 matches in La Liga, but also only winning 2 victories in the same period makes the Basque team continue to sink deeper in the relegation race as the season enters the final stage.
Quique Sanchez Flores's team entered this match after a 1-1 draw with Elche, a result that currently ranks them 18th in the standings and is only 1 point behind Girona's safe position.
In the last two rounds, Alaves will successively face Real Oviedo and Rayo Vallecano - opponents considered to be more manageable. However, if they are empty-handed against Barcelona, their situation will become extremely dangerous.
Alaves' home form this season is also not too impressive. They have only won 24 points after 17 matches at Mendizorroza - a record only ranked 14th in La Liga. In contrast, Barcelona is the team with the best away record in the league with 37 points after 17 away trips.
In the first leg at the beginning of the season, Barcelona defeated Alaves with a score of 3-1. The Catalan team is also currently on a 6-game winning streak against El Glorioso in all competitions, including a 3-0 victory in the second leg of the 2024-2025 season.
Barcelona entered the match with an extremely excited spirit after officially winning La Liga with a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in the El Clasico last weekend.
Hansi Flick's team is currently 14 points ahead of Real Madrid when the season is only three rounds left. Barcelona is also showing destructive form with a streak of 11 consecutive wins in La Liga and all 6 recent wins in all competitions. However, the defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals is still considered a big regret for them this season.
Barca's leadership is said to have begun planning for the new season, in which the biggest priority is to strengthen the defense in order to aim to conquer the Champions League in the 2026-2027 season.
In the immediate future, the goal of the Catalan team is to close the domestic season with three consecutive victories against Alaves, Real Betis and Valencia.
Head-to-head history also completely leans towards Barcelona. In the last 50 encounters between the two teams, Barca has won 36 matches and only lost 7 times.
Personnel situation
Alaves will continue to be without Lucas Boye due to a muscle injury, while Facundo Garces is absent due to suspension. In addition, they are also waiting for an assessment of the condition of Toni Martinez and Jon Guridi after both had to leave the field in the 1-1 draw with Elche last weekend.
Toni Martinez's presence is especially important for Alaves, as this striker has scored 7 goals in the last 7 matches in La Liga. The Basque team is hoping that their main striker will recover in time to face the defending champion.
On Barcelona's side, Lamine Yamal continues to be absent due to a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Raphinha, although recovering from a muscle injury, will not be able to play due to suspension after receiving enough yellow cards.
Positive news for Barca is that Andreas Christensen has returned to training after a serious knee injury. The Danish center-back is expected to reappear before the end of the season.
Expected lineup:
Sivera, Perez, Otto, Tenaglia, Parada, Rebbach, Suarez, Blanco, Alena, Martinez, Diabate.
J. Garcia, Kounde, E. Garcia, Araujo, Balde, De Jong, Pedri, Rashford, Gavi, Fermin, Lewandowski.
The match between Alaves and Barcelona takes place at 2:30 am on May 14 (Vietnam time).
