Five things to know about Barça v Alavés
This Saturday at 4.15pm CET FC Barcelona play Deportivo Alavés at the Spotify Camp Nou. After the wonderful opener against Athletic Club, the blaugrana home is ready to enjoy Hansi Flick's side play once again. Their opponent always makes things difficult for every team, as they play in a compact shape that makes it hard for rivals to move the ball around.
The game can help rebuild confidence after the recent loss in London. The blaugranes have many games over the coming weeks and a win can help maintain the run in the LaLiga and apply more pressure to the leaders. Here are five of the most interesting facts about the game.
Good results against Alavés
Barça have historically done well against the side from Vitoria. The blaugranes have won 13 out of the last 15 LaLiga home and away games against Alavés, having drawn the other two.
Defensive block
If Coudet's teams are known for something, it's the defensive system. Despite being in fourteenth position, Alavés have conceded the third fewest goals in the competition, tied with Real Madrid on just 12 goals, whereas Barça have conceded 15.
Dead balls
Another notable facet to Alavés are dead balls. Seven out of the 11 goals they have scored this season in LaLiga have come this way, ranking them second in the league for this metric.
Lewandowski likes playing them
The Pole has a few favourite teams when it comes to goalscoring, but he has put up some tremendous numbers against Alavés, as the number nine has scored seven in just four games, placing them third for LaLiga teams he has scored most against.
Goalscoring streak
Hansi Flick's side have scored in every one of the last 33 LaLiga games, a total of 88 goals. It represents the longest streak for the team since 2019. The next target is 37 consecutive games scoring when Valverde was in charge.