LaLiga champions Barcelona will welcome underperforming Deportivo Alaves at the Estadio Olimpico Lluis Companys stadium on a Sunday afternoon in an important encounter that will boost their La Liga title ambition
Xavi’s men will aim to bounce back from a disappointing 1-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in n the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
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Barcelona are in third place in the La Liga table with 27 points, seven points behind leaders Girona and five points adrift rivals Real Madrid.
The Catalan giants slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk in their previous game and will need to bounce back this weekend to boost their chances of fighting for the league title.
Xavi’s men have lost two of their last three matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico in October. However, they returned to winning in the league last weekend, recording a 1-0 success over Real Sociedad.
Deportivo Alaves are in 14th place in the La Liga standings and have not been at their best this season. The away side edged Almeria to a narrow 1-0 victory last week and will need to work hard to achieve a similar result in this match.
Luis Garcia’s side was 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.
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Barcelona have a good record against Alaves and has won 19 out of the last 27 matches.
The Catalans were unbeaten in their last 11 matches against Alaves in La Liga.
Despite Barcelona being a better team and favourite to get a win in this match, Alaves could pull the upset in this fixture.
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