This Sunday, the Mendizorroza Stadium will be the scene of an interesting clash between Alavés and Barcelona on matchday 9 of LaLiga. With opposite dynamics, Barça seeks to reaffirm itself at the top of the table, while the babazorros will try to maintain their unbeaten record at home against a historically superior rival.
Here we present five key predictions for this duel:
The recent history between these teams clearly tips the balance in favor of Barcelona. The culés have not lost against Alavés since the 2016/17 season, accumulating 12 wins and only two draws in their last 14 meetings. Furthermore, Alavés have not beaten Barça at home since the 2001/02 campaign, with the Blaugranas winning eight of their last 11 visits to Mendizorroza. This historical superiority suggests that Hansi Flick’s team has a good chance of extending its positive streak.
A trend that both teams have shown this season is more goals in the second half. Alavés have scored six of their 11 LaLiga goals after the break, while Barcelona have scored 15 of their 25 goals in the second halves. In the last 10 meetings between these two teams, 23 of the 33 goals have been scored after the interval. Therefore, the duel is expected to gain greater excitement in the last 45 minutes.
With Iñaki Peña’s starting position assured due to injuries in goal, the young goalkeeper will have a crucial opportunity to convince Hansi Flick. The competition from the arrival of Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny adds pressure for Peña to keep a clean sheet. Although Barcelona has conceded four goals against Osasuna recently, in two of its last three appearances it has managed to keep a clean sheet. The match against Alavés will be key for their confidence and continuity.
Alavés have struggled to find the goal on some occasions this season. They failed to score in their last game against Getafe, and in nine of the last 11 times they received Barcelona in Mendizorroza, the babazorros were left without scoring. With a well-structured culé defense and the hunger for vindication after the defeat suffered in Pamplona, it is likely that the home team will have difficulties in penetrating the Barça goal.
The scoring trend of both teams suggests that the duel could overcome the 2.5 goal barrier. Barcelona, with an average of more than three goals per game in LaLiga, has been one of the most prolific teams in attack, especially away from home, where they have scored 15 of their 25 goals. Additionally, five of Alavés’ eight games this season have seen more than 2.5 goals. The combination of Barça’s offense and the defensive vulnerabilities of both teams could make the score large.
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