- Barcelona have won their last 3 head-to-head meetings against Alaves, including a 1-0 home success nine months ago.
- Barcelona are on a 2-match winning run in all competitions, their most recent outing being a 4-0 thrashing of Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou.
- Deportivo Alaves are on a run of 2 wins and 3 losses in their last 5 LaLiga matches and have failed to win their last 2 away trips to Barcelona.
Barca’s possession press vs Alaves’ transition game
Second-placed Barcelona take on 14th-placed Alaves at Camp Nou on Saturday in a match-up of two sides at opposite ends of the LaLiga table.
Hans-Dieter Flick’s high-pressing, possession-based philosophy is firmly embedded in the playing style of FC Barcelona since his appointment in May 2024. The FC Barcelona vs Deportivo Alaves prediction has Barca sitting second in LaLiga with 31 points from their first 13 games and their home form is a major reason why.
Barca are perfect in LaLiga at home this term, winning all 6 of their matches at the Camp Nou and averaging a whopping 3.33 goals per game while conceding only 0.50. Our FC Barcelona vs Deportivo Alaves preview notes that Alaves, in contrast, have had a tough time on the road, winning just once in their six LaLiga road trips.
Dodging Barca’s press can open up the game
Eduardo Coudet’s men sit in the lower mid-table with 15 points on the board after 13 rounds, but their recent form has dipped with back-to-back defeats prior to the international break.
This FC Barcelona vs Deportivo Alaves prediction shows that the 0-1 loss at home to Celta de Vigo prior to the break suggests that Alaves are still licking their wounds from that defeat, so Barca’s recent improvement in form (W3, D1, L1) sees them come into this game as heavy favorites.
The 1.26 odds for Barca to win are simply too short for this game despite the home side’s excellent record at the Camp Nou, but the ‘Over 2.5 goals’ market at 1.36 does appeal. Our FC Barcelona vs Deportivo Alaves betting tips also highlight this potential value in the goals market.
Alaves’ gameplan will allow Barca to score freely
Barca’s prolific home scoring and intent to continue to go forward should ensure the over hits in this clash of styles, which pits Flick’s positional pressing against Coudet’s more compact 4-2-3-1. Alaves will sit deep and then play on the break when they can, but that will take time to develop and they will be wide open to Barca’s pressing traps.
The Babazorros will need to make their time on the ball count if they want to take anything from this trip, but wingers Mariano Diaz and Carlos Vicente can get them into the game as they can get into the game from wide areas and cut in to take pot shots.
Vicente, who is Alaves’ top LaLiga scorer with 3 goals, could be a threat if Barca overcommit players forward. Mariano has been in good form with 3 goals in his last 5 games, but Robert Lewandowski has been almost unplayable for Barca with 8 in 10 LaLiga appearances.
The FC Barcelona vs Deportivo Alaves prediction is that Barca are good enough to get the job done with relative ease, so we are not expecting any heroics from Alaves in this one, but they could be good for a goal and the chance to test their transition game against elite pressers is an interesting one for the visitors.
