Alaves - Barcelona predictions and free betting tips [03/02/2024]

Today  as part of the 23rd round of the Spanish Primera, Alavés will host Barcelona on their home ground. Xavi's charges hold the fourth place in the league table and just about seized victory over Osasuna last week with a 1:0 scoreline, while the hosts thrashed Almería 3:0.

Predicted Lineups

Alavés: Sivera; Tenaglia, Marin, Duarte, Lopez; Blanco, Guevara; Vicente, Guidi, Rioja; Omorodion.

Barcelona: Pena; Koundé, Araujo, Christensen, Cancelo; Gündogan, Pedri, F. de Jong; Jamal, Lewandowski, F. Lopez.

Alavés

Alavés, promoted last season, is putting up a decent showing in the Primera. The white-blues sit at 11th place in the league table, a solid ten points clear of the relegation zone. Last weekend, the hosts defeated Almería 3:0, a week after a 1:0 victory over Cádiz: Omorodion scored a brace and Rioja netted one from a penalty spot. Thanks to such solid results, the Basques bagged ten points in the last four rounds, and they've netted 16 points in 10 home games with five victories.

Two players will return to the club following their African Cup of Nations stints: Ovono (Equatorial Guinea) and Abkar (Morocco), whose teams were eliminated from the tournament. However, defender Sedlar remains sidelined with a torn ACL, while centre-back Gorosabel is suspended for accumulating too many yellow cards. Samu Omorodion (on loan from Atletico Madrid for the season) was twice on target against Almería, ending a barren run that lasted several weeks without a goal (eight matches, to be exact). Luis Rioja, with four goals to his name, will likely also make the starting eleven. During the January transfer window, the Basques saw Jona Carrikaburu return to Real Sociedad following the end of his loan spell.

Barcelona

It's pretty tough to grasp the logic of the management and the future of the Catalan club at the moment. Last weekend, Blaugrana was down 0:2 to Villarreal at home, then turned the tide with a 3:2 lead, but due to defensive errors and carelessness, they conceded two goals in stoppage time. Earlier, Barça was knocked out of the Copa del Rey, losing to Athletic Bilbao 4:2 after extra time. These setbacks followed Xavi's announcement that the ex-Spain midfielder would leave the Catalan giants at the end of the season. Strangely enough, this emotional shock helped: on Wednesday, the blue garnets overcame Osasuna 1:0 and solidified their top-four position. In 10 La Liga away contests, Barça accumulated 20 points while netting 19 goals and conceding 13.

Marc Andre ter Stegen is still recovering from an injury, and his replacement Pena obviously can't handle his duties, displaying insecurity. Also out are Gavi (end of season), Balde (end of season), Martinez (due back in late February), Marco Alonso (back surgery) and captain Sergio Roberto (muscle strain). Let's not overlook the severe injury to João Félix (Atletico, on loan for the season), who could miss several weeks due to an injury, as well as Brazilian winger Rafinha (3 goals, 5 assists in La Liga) and Ferran Torres - all are injured. Ilkay Gündogan (four goals and four assists) and Lewandowski (eight goals and five assists) are certain to make the starting eleven on Saturday, as is recent recruit Victor Roca who bagged the sole goal against Osasuna.

Head-to-Head

Just like last season, Barça struggled to deal with the white-blues at home last autumn - 2:1.

Match prediction: Alavés - Barcelona

Barça faces a very tricky match, considering Alavés' current form. The hosts can strip points from any team on home turf, and the negative atmosphere around the Catalan giants clearly doesn't help Xavi. Plus, the Barça infirmary is filled to the brim - too many of the visiting team's leaders are out, undoubtedly affecting the squad's playing quality. My prediction - Alavés handicap + 1.