Alavés vs Barcelona, La Liga: Preview

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Following a glorious victory in El Clásico to clinch back-to-back La Liga titles on Sunday and a glorious parade through the city on Monday, Barcelona return to action for their penultimate away game of the season as the Catalans travel to the Basque Country to face Deportivo Alavés at the Mendizorrotza on Wednesday Night Fútbol.

Barça come into the final three games of the season with a noble objective of finishing the league campaign with 100 points which would put them in historic territory as champions, but the simple truth is these matches mean nothing to the Blaugrana and it would be completely natural to see a drop in focus and intensity, especially with players who are already thinking about not getting injured so close to the World Cup.

Expecting the Blaugrana to show their best version in the last 10 days of the season is unrealistic, but Hansi Flick might choose to shake things up with his lineup and give some reserves and youngsters a chance to play and make a claim for a spot next season. There is no easy way the Catalans can match the desperation of their opponents, however, as Alavés come into this one needing any positive result in their fight against relegation.

The bottom of the league table is absolutely wild with a dozen teams still involved in the survival battle, and pulling off an upset against the champions could prove crucial to Alavés as they try to move out of the drop zone. The hosts will bring all the energy and passion and the fans will be desperate to see their team have a great night against the champs, and it’ll be fascinating to see if Barça will be able to match that desperation and play well enough to win and stay alive in the race to 100.

Wednesday’s game is all about Barça’s ability to play with the same intensity as Alavés. If they don’t, and if there are several changes to the lineup, we likely won’t see a good performance and the result could go against them. But if the team, whatever it looks like, is able to match the passion from the hosts, then we could be in for a fun, pressure-free night as the champions look to make history.

Let’s dance.

POSSIBLE LINEUPS

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Joan; Kounde, Araujo, Eric, Balde; De Jong, Bernal; Roony, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski

Alavés (5-3-2): Sivera; Pérez, Tenaglia, Pacheco, Jonny, Parada; Guridi, Blanco, Aleñà; Diabaté, Martínez

PREDICTION

I have no idea how this will go because I don’t know if the players will be able to muster the necessary energy to match what Alavés will bring to the table. So here’s a wild shot in the dark: 3-2 Barça in a fun game. But it really could be anything.