Barcelona v Alaves: Preview, predicted line-ups & team news

Four days on, the sting of the Clasico defeat has not quite worn off at Barcelona.

Losing 2-1 at home to Real Madrid ended a run of nine straight league wins, and it came at the worst possible time, with the old rivals now only three points back in third.

However, a bruised Barcelona is not necessarily a bad thing for the neighbours' opponents to face, and Alaves are the next visitors to Camp Nou.

The Basque side are seventh, with a decent home record and a poor away one, and they arrive having drawn 1-1 with bottom-club Malaga last time out.

That is hardly the ideal preparation for a trip to the league leaders.

Barcelona sit top of La Liga on 27 points from 10 games, two clear of Atletico Madrid and three clear of Real Madrid.

The goals have flowed all season: 40 scored, an average of four a game, with only 11 conceded. They have failed to score in none of their 10 league matches, and they have kept four clean sheets.

The Real Madrid loss was their first defeat of the campaign. Before it came wins of 5-2 at Real Betis and 3-0 against Getafe, along with a 7-2 demolition of Racing Santander at Camp Nou.

The home form is the only blemish, if you can call it that: four wins and one defeat from five, though even there the goals tally is a hefty 18.

Alaves have had a mixed start. Their record reads three wins, three draws and four defeats from 10, which leaves them on 12 points and seventh.

The contrast between home and away is stark. At Mendizorrotza they have scored 11 goals in six games, but on the road they have managed just three in four, and have not won.

Their recent form is shaky too, with only one win in the last seven (the 5-2 home victory over Osasuna in early September, back before the slide began). They have lost to Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo in their last three.

A point here would feel like a big result. Three would be a minor miracle.

Barcelona have won nine and lost one of their last 10 in the league, so the surface form is excellent, even allowing for the Clasico reverse. They have scored four a game and posted an expected goals figure of 3.48 per match, which suggests the numbers are no fluke.

Alaves have won three, drawn three and lost four of their last 10, scoring 1.4 goals a game with an expected figure of 1.29. They have also failed to score in two of those games.

The gap is wide, and the only real doubt is whether Barcelona's defence, which has been breached six times at home, gives Alaves a sniff.

Barcelona are first with 27 points from 10 games, a two-point cushion over Atletico Madrid, who have played the same number of matches. Alaves are seventh on 12 points from 10, two behind Real Sociedad in fifth with Sevilla in sixth another five clear.

For Barcelona, a win restores the pre-Clasico rhythm and keeps the pressure firmly on Atletico and Real Madrid. A slip would hand the initiative to their rivals, and it is not hard to imagine the questions starting.

For Alaves, three points would be a major surprise, but the gap to the European places is small. They are only four points off fifth, so every away game is a chance to stay in that conversation.

The last 10 meetings show seven Barcelona wins, two draws and one Alaves win. Those games have averaged 2.7 goals, with both teams scoring in six (60%) and over 2.5 goals in five (50%).

The most recent meeting was a 1-0 win for Alaves at Estadio Mendizorrotza on 13 May 2026, a result that made the Basque side the first to beat Barcelona in this fixture in the sample. Barcelona won the Camp Nou game before it 3-1, on 29 November 2025.

That Alaves win is the outlier, and the pattern of Barcelona wins with Alaves scoring at most once points the same way this time. The goals line is the tricky part, as half the meetings have stayed under 2.5, but this season's Barcelona are a different beast, with nine of their 10 games going over that mark.

Both teams to score looks a coin flip on history, but Alaves have scored in just two of their four away games. A home win by two or three goals looks the likeliest pattern.

The biggest gap is in goals. Barcelona average four a game over their last 10, while Alaves manage 1.4. Add in shots on target (8.2 a game to 4.7) and the visitors are being asked to score against a side that makes them chase the ball.

Possession tells the same story, with Barcelona on 69.3% and Alaves on 42.9%. Alaves are going to spend much of the evening without it.

The corners numbers fit the picture: Barcelona win 7.2 a game and concede 2.8, while Alaves win 4.1 and concede 4.8. Expect Alaves to defend deep, and Barcelona to pile in from wide.

The visitors' best hope is a quiet first half and a late goal. They have scored six of their 14 goals in the last 15 minutes.

Barcelona should line up in their usual 4-3-3, with the main question marks at the back, where two defenders are doubts. Alaves tend to switch between a back five and a back three, and a suspension to one of their defenders forces a change.

Barcelona: Joan García; Cancelo, Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Balde; Pedri, De Jong, Fermín; Yamal, Gabriel Jesus, Raphinha

Alaves: Sivera; Tenaglia, Valentini, Jonny, Yusi, Angel Pérez; Blanco, Guevara, Aleñá; Toni Martínez, Boyé

Kick-off at Camp Nou is at 20:00 GMT on Saturday 31 October. In the UK, La Liga rights sit with Premier Sports, so the game is shown on Premier Sports where selected. We'll update this page if a specific channel is confirmed closer to kick-off.

The value here sits in the goals rather than the result. Barcelona have gone over 2.5 goals in nine of their 10 league games, and Alaves have a leaky enough record away from home to let that run continue. The result looks a formality, so the picks below lean on how Barcelona win, and who scores.