Alaves vs Barcelona: A look at their past encounters

After their midweek win against top European side Juventus, Barcelona will be going into this game with confidence. ‘Los babazorros’ have had a mixed start to the season, recording impressive wins over Athletic Bilbao and Valladolid, but having lost to teams such as Villareal and Elche. This coming Saturday, Alaves host Barcelona in the 8^th Matchday of La Liga. The match is taking place at the Mendizorrotza stadium at 9pm CET; as we take a look at recent  encounters between both clubs.

Alaves 0-5 Barcelona. 19/07/20

After having hit two crossbars and the post, Barcelona were looking very dominant in the opening twenty minutes. The first goal inevitably came in the 23^rd minute. Messi had tried to cross the ball into the centre of the box, but a deflection fell straight onto youngster Ansu Fati. Fati thereby converted his shot into the first goal of the game, beating the keeper on his right post. About 10 minutes later, Messi made it 2-0. A brilliant pass through the lines by Riqui Puig, had found the Argentinian one on one with the keeper; sending him the wrong way. Before the first half closed however, Luis Suarez made it 3-0. A cross by the Spanish left-back Jordi Alba, set up Suarez for a header, bringing the first half to a close.

On to the second half, the blaugranas continued to dominate. In the 57^th minute, Riqui Puig had completed his second assist.  After his direct pass to Nelson Semedo, the Portuguese had made it 4-0.  His direct shot was far too powerful for the goalkeeper, who was once again beaten on his right post. Fifteen minutes before the end of the match, Lionel Messi got his second and final goal of the game . This was once again assisted by Jordi Alba, who closed the match with a very impressive display.

FC Barcelona 2-1 Alaves. 28/01/18

This match was much closer however, with Alaves putting on an notable display. Evidence of this can be seen in the 23^rd minute, when the Spanish team took the early lead. After a through ball assist had come from the midfield, Swedish striker John Guidetti had made it 1-0. Despite miskicking the ball, his shot had proved far too powerful for the young German keeper, as it beat Marc on his right post. With the blaugranas losing for over fifty minutes, Suarez and Messi had brought the two goals needed for the away team. Suarez converted his shot from a cross in the 73^rd minute, while Messi scored a free kick in the 84^th. Incredible resolve was displayed by the then La Liga Champions, as they refused to lose throughout the whole match.

Alaves 2-1 FC Barcelona. 10/09/16

This match came as a shock for the blaugranas. Barcelona were going into this match in very good form, while Alaves were a team who displayed many signs of weakness, especially at the back. Despite this, Alaves played impressively well, and managed to take the victory. This was evident in the 39^th  minute, when Deyverson Silva scored the first goal. A cross had been delivered into the box, and Silva was left unmarked; thereby converting his shot into the bottom right corner.

In the second half, Barcelona answered relatively quickly. The goal came from Frenchman Jeremy Mathieu, who had converted his header from the corner into a goal. After this occurred,  Barcelona looked in control. They created possession, dictated the intensity and had taken many chances. It wasn’t until the 64^th minute, when Alaves made it 2-1. A brilliant run by Ibai Gomez- who confidently dribbled past two defenders- left him open for a shot on goal. This shot had thereby been converted into yet another goal, signifying the end of the game and a disappointing loss for the away side.