Alavés and Barcelona face off on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the Mendizorroza Stadium in the 36th round of La Liga. Barcelona arrives buoyed by their Spanish league title win after defeating Real Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou, with goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres.
Alavés, meanwhile, is in a precarious position in the fight against relegation. Quique Sánchez Flores’ side sits 18th with 37 points, facing one of the toughest remaining fixtures after a draw with Elche and losing key attacking players.
Barcelona heads to the Basque Country in a celebratory mood after securing the La Liga title, but they continue to boast dominant numbers this season. Hansi Flick’s team has notched 30 wins in 35 rounds, opened a 14-point gap over Real Madrid, and is on an 11-match winning streak in the league. Even their elimination by Atlético Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals hasn’t shaken their domestic form.
Their away record further underscores Barcelona’s favoritism. The Catalans have the best away campaign in La Liga, with 37 points from 17 matches, and arrive at Mendizorroza on a six-game winning run across all competitions. With the title already secured, Flick is expected to use the remaining rounds to manage minutes and assess squad depth.
Alavés’s situation is starkly different. The team entered the relegation zone after a 4-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao, where they led 2-1 before conceding three goals in 13 minutes. A 1-1 draw with Elche left the Babazorros on 37 points, still under pressure in the relegation battle.
Their home numbers explain the struggle. Alavés has earned just 24 points from 17 home games and has conceded in each of their last eight La Liga matches. Although they have lost only twice in the last eight games, they have also won just twice in that span—a combination that keeps them near the bottom.
The final stretch turns every point into a survival issue for the Basque side. Upcoming matches against Real Oviedo and Rayo Vallecano are seen internally as decisive, increasing the pressure on this clash against the Spanish champions. Expect a competitive Alavés, but one forced to take risks against a technically superior opponent.
For Barcelona, the context could make the match more open than the 54-point gap suggests. With the title secured, Flick is likely to mix celebration with squad rotation, managing the physical load of starters ahead of preparation for the 2026 World Cup. Still, Barcelona’s collective momentum and attacking depth make them comfortable favorites to secure another win.
In 48 official meetings, Barcelona has won 35 times, with six draws and just seven defeats. Their recent dominance is even more pronounced: Barça hasn’t lost to Alavés since September 2016, when they were stunned 2-1 at the old Camp Nou—still the Babazorros’ last major victory over the Blaugrana in La Liga. In the first half of this season, on November 29, 2025, Barcelona won comfortably.
