Barcelona will look to bounce back from their midweek disappointment when they host Alaves in a Spanish La Liga fixture on Saturday. The Catalans have a perfect home record in the league, while the visitors are struggling at the moment.
Barcelona head into this clash off the back of a 3-0 defeat at Chelsea in a midweek UEFA Champions League clash. Manager Hansi Flick will be keen to move on quickly from that result, having earned two wins and a draw in their previous three matches.
Saturday's clash is at Camp Nou, where Barcelona have a 100% record in the league. They have claimed a few one-sided wins at home this season, like the 6-0 victory over Valencia and the 4-0 triumph over Athletic Bilbao in their previous fixture.
Alaves are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Celta Vigo last time out in La Liga. That was the second straight loss for Eduardo Coudet's men, who also fell 1-0 at Girona in their previous fixture.
Sitting just four points above the bottom three, Alaves will be desperate to avoid getting dragged into the relegation scrap. However, they have struggled on their travels, losing their last three away matches in the league.
How the bookies view it: Smooth ride for Barcelona
The bookies have installed Barcelona as overwhelming favourites, with a home win priced at 2/9 by bet365. An unlikely victory for Alaves is valued at 11/1 by Betfred, while Paddy Power are offering odds of 11/2 for a draw.
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Head to head: Superior Barcelona
Barcelona have a 19-1 advantage, with three draws in the last 23 matches against Alaves. The Catalans did the double last season, earning a 3-0 away victory before winning 1-0 at home in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch: Clinical Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski has impressed since returning from injury, with four goals in the last two La Liga matches. The striker also scored four goals in the two games against Alaves last season and will be the one to watch (Robert Lewandowski anytime goalscorer – valued at 8/13 by bet366).
Carlos Vicente often features in attack for Alaves and has scored three La Liga goals this season. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on (Carlos Vicente anytime goalscorer – priced at 6/1 by Paddy Power).
Probable line-ups:
Gavi and Pedri remain out with injury and are likely to miss Saturday's clash. Marcus Rashford could earn a start after coming off the bench in midweek, while Fermín López will be sidelined for two weeks with a leg injury.
Toni Martinez and Calebe are set to miss out for Alaves, with both men sidelined with injury. Pablo Ibanez could be handed a start after coming off the bench last time out, while Jon Pacheco should retain his place at the back.
Barcelona: Garcia, Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde, Garcia, Lopez, Olmo, Yamal, Rashford, Lewandowski.
Alaves: Sivera, Jonny Otto, Tenaglia, Pacheco, Yusi, Ibanez, Blanco, Suarez, Alena, Vicente, Boye.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona have scored in their last four home matches in all competitions (Barcelona to score in both halves – available at 8/11 on William Hill). The hosts have also scored over 2.5 goals in their last three home fixtures (Barcelona over 2.5 goals – offered at 8/11 by William Hill).
The Catalans have won by two or more goals in their last three home matches (Barcelona -2 handicap – set at Evens with bet366).
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