FC Barcelona - Alavés: Three points to continue the celebration in LaLiga

The Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is preparing to host a new recital of FC Barcelona in LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25. A blue-and-burgundy team in a state of grace after thrashing Valencia and securing their direct qualification to the Champions League round of 16 will receive Alavés at Montjuïc, aiming to secure three key points that will allow them to continue pressuring Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid in the standings.

The team led by Hansi Flick will face a rival in poor form. The team from Vitoria occupies the seventeenth place in the standings and has managed only one victory in their last 10 matches. Moreover, they have not won in blue-and-burgundy territory for over 8 years, so the stage is set for the culés to continue their celebration and stay in the title race.

Barça against their 'ghosts'

Montjuïc has once again been the 'fortress' of FC Barcelona this 2025. In front of their fans in the magical mountain, the Catalans have thrashed Betis (5-1) in the Copa del Rey and Valencia in LaLiga (7-1) and managed a draw against Atalanta (2-2) in the Champions League, in a match where the team already knew they were qualified for the next round of the competition.

However, a curious precedent has alerted the culés. The match against the albiazules will be played at 14:00 hours, an atypical time that has not been favorable for the blue-and-burgundy team in recent years.

This Sunday’s match will be the sixth that Barça plays at this time in the 21st century, and the record is not encouraging. The blaugranas have managed only one victory, with three draws and one defeat, which came this season against Las Palmas on November 30 (1-2).

Previously, in the 23/24 season, the team then coached by Xavi Hernández scraped a 1-1 draw against Rayo in Vallecas. A result that was repeated in 2022 against Espanyol and in 2021 against Cádiz. To find the last victory of the Catalans at 14:00 hours, one must go back to November 2020, when Koeman's team won 4-0 against Osasuna at Camp Nou. This Sunday they will have a golden opportunity to break this bad streak.

A luxury reinforcement for Hansi Flick

To seek the three points, Hansi Flick could return to his most regular players after activating his rotation plan throughout the week. The debate in goal is settled after the coach confirmed Szczesny as his starter, while Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsí will continue to occupy the center of defense despite Iñigo Martínez being 100% recovered and back in the first team dynamics.

This is in contrast to Dani Olmo, whose return was expected this weekend but has been tentatively postponed to next Thursday, when the culés face Valencia in the Copa del Rey. The Egarense continues to work on recovering from his calf overload, and to avoid a future relapse, the club has decided not to take any risks with his fitness.

The overwhelming Barça against Alavés

The babazorro team will visit one of the venues that has historically been difficult for them. In the City of Barcelona, Barça has imposed itself with authority over the albiazules, recording twenty victories, two draws and only two defeats in the 24 encounters between both teams in blue-and-burgundy territory, with a crushing scoring balance of 74 goals for the culés and 23 for the visitors.

To find the last victory of Alavés in Barcelona, one must go back to September 10, 2016, when a goal from Deyverson and another from Ibai Gómez gave them the three points (1-2). Jérémy Mathieu reduced the deficit, but the team led by Luis Enrique was unable to even equalize the match.

Since then, over 8 years and just over 4 months, the dominance of the Catalans over Alavés at home has been overwhelming. In addition to being unbeaten in 7 matches, the blaugranas have scored 20 goals, averaging 2.85 per match, and have conceded 6, a ratio of 0.85 per match.

Thus, the scenario is perfect to continue in the title race. At this hour on Saturday, February 1, the culés are third with 42 points, just 3 units behind the second-placed team, Atlético de Madrid, and 7 behind the leader, Real Madrid. Therefore, at Montjuïc and against one of their favorite victims, the wind is blowing in favor of a Barça that aims to secure three key points in their championship aspirations.

Technical sheet of the match

• All the information about the match: FC Barcelona - Alavés
• Competition: LaLiga EA Sports
• Possible lineups: The XI of Barça and Alavés
• Stadium: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, 49,472 spectators
• Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero
• Schedules and television: When and where to watch the match - Worldwide guide
• Tickets: Buy tickets to see Barça vs Alavés