Barcelona head to the Basque Country on Wednesday night for a La Liga clash against Deportivo Alavés, still riding the high of securing their league title in the recent El Clásico. Hansi Flick’s men celebrated back-to-back league wins in front of a jubilant home crowd, defeating Real Madrid to extend their perfect home record to 18 wins from 18 matches this season. Now, they shift focus to a tricky away fixture at the Estadio de Mendizorroza in Vitoria-Gasteiz, where a determined Alavés side awaits.

For Deportivo Alavés, this is a crucial relegation battle, and they enter it with a mix of setbacks and hopeful returns. Forward Lucas Boyé is ruled out due to a lingering muscle injury, while defender Facundo Garcés serves a suspension. On the bright side, Carles Aleñá is back from suspension and could start against his boyhood club, potentially alongside fellow former Barcelona midfielder Denis Suárez. However, the biggest concern for manager Luis García is the fitness of top scorer Toni Martínez and midfielder Jon Guridi, both of whom suffered minor muscle discomfort in the previous matchday and face late fitness tests. Given the immense pressure of securing La Liga survival, Martínez is expected to push through the pain and feature in the starting eleven.

Barcelona travel with significant forced absences in wide areas, prompting Hansi Flick to consider rotations. Winger Lamine Yamal remains out and will miss the rest of the domestic campaign after sustaining a hamstring injury. He is joined on the sidelines by Raphinha, who, despite his recent return from injury, is unavailable due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Additionally, Andreas Christensen is highly doubtful—he’s back in training but not yet match fit. Having secured the title just days ago, Flick is widely expected to shuffle his squad, giving minutes to fringe players while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.

Deportivo Alavés, meanwhile, have been highly inconsistent this season, and this match presents a golden opportunity to build momentum against a potentially rotated Barcelona side. With survival on the line, expect a gritty, high-stakes encounter in Vitoria-Gasteiz.