Barcelona will be aiming to bounce back from a disappointing result in the Champions League when they resume their La Liga campaign at home to Alaves on Sunday afternoon.
Xavi's side, who are third in the La Liga table, were beaten 1-0 by Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe on Tuesday evening, while Alaves will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 league success over Almeria.
Match preview
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Barcelona missed the chance to qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League with two games to spare on Tuesday, as they lost to Shakhtar in Germany, and the Catalan side are now in an uncomfortable position in their section ahead of a dangerous clash with Porto at the end of the month.
Xavi's team remain at the head of Group H, but they are level on nine points with second-placed Porto and just three ahead of third-placed Shakhtar, so their position in the round of 16 is far from secure.
Barcelona have actually lost two of their last three matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico at the end of October, but they did return to winning ways in the league last weekend, recording a 1-0 success over Real Sociedad.
A record of eight wins, three draws and one defeat from 12 league matches has brought them 27 points, which is only enough for third spot in the table, two points behind second-placed Real Madrid and four from surprise leaders Girona.
Barcelona will take on both Atletico Madrid and Girona in the early stages of December, so a win in this match is vital, with the team needing to bounce back from a disappointing result and performance last time out, with Xavi calling it "one of the worst games" since his arrival as head coach.
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Alaves, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of successive wins, beating Deportivo Murcia 10-0 in the first round of the Copa del Rey before recording a 1-0 success over Almeria in the league last weekend.
A 79th-minute goal for Aleksandar Sedlar was enough to overcome Almeria, and Alaves now sit in 14th position in the table, boasting 12 points from their opening 12 games of the campaign.
Luis Garcia's side were promoted back to Spain's top flight through the 2022-23 Segunda Division playoffs, and they will be bidding to consolidate at this level once again.
Alaves have actually been relatively strong defensively, conceding just 16 times, but they are the joint-lowest goalscorers in the division with 10 alongside Las Palmas and Cadiz.
El Glorioso managed to hold Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou during the 2021-22 La Liga campaign, while they recorded a famous away success over the reigning La Liga champions in September 2016.
Team News
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Barcelona will be without the services of three first-team players for this match, as Gavi is suspended due to the booking that he picked up against Real Sociedad last weekend, while Sergi Roberto remains on the sidelines due to a calf problem.
Frenkie de Jong is also out, with the Netherlands international finding it difficult to fully recover from an ankle issue.
There had been some concern over Ronald Araujo, with the defender said to be suffering with some discomfort after the Shakhtar clash, but he is fit to start this weekend.
Head coach Xavi will make changes from the side that started against Shakhtar, with Joao Felix, Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez and Jules Kounde all in line for recalls, but Pedri's recovery to full match sharpness is set to continue from the bench.
As for Alaves, three players are on the sidelines for this match, with Sedlar, Carlos Benavidez and Giuliano Simeone unavailable for selection.
Sedlar picked up a serious knee injury late on against Almeria, and the defender is now expected to be missing for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.
Rafa Marin is expected to replace Sedlar at the back for this match, but the team could otherwise be unchanged from the clash with Almeria last time out, meaning that ex-Real Madrid midfielder Antonio Blanco should line up against the La Liga champions.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Gundogan, Romeu, Fermin; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Gorosabel, Abqar, Marin, J Lopez; Blanco, Guevara; Hagi, Guridi, Rioja; Kike Garcia
We say: Barcelona 2-0 Alaves
Alaves will certainly be the fresher of the two teams, and they have previous when it comes to positive results away from home against Barcelona. Xavi's side will be desperate to bounce back from their European disappointment, though, and we are expecting them to secure all three points ahead of the international break.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
