Alaves vs Barcelona Prediction: Toni to be the Guy for Alaves

They think it's all over, it is now. Barcelona secured the La Liga title on Sunday with a relatively routine 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in El Clasico. The players have enjoyed some celebrations but it is back to work on Wednesday evening as they face an Alaves side in deep trouble in the relegation zone. Kick-off is set for 8PM with Premier Sports 2 broadcasting the game live to UK viewers.

Our Spanish Football expert previews the action and gives us his top two Alaves vs Barcelona Predictions plus all the team news, predicted line-ups and stats...

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Barcelona are back in action 72 hours after they clinched the title by winning El Clásico. They can become just the third team to ever reach 100 points in La Liga if they win their final three matches, but can expect few favours from a relegation-threatened Alavés side on Wednesday night. 

Hansi Flick deserves a great deal of credit for the way he has built what has been comfortably the best team in Spain across his two years at the helm. Even without Lamine Yamal, they were a class above Real Madrid on Sunday night, with brilliant early goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres sealing a 2-0 victory. 

While there were opportunities for Barça to extend their advantage and rub salt into their rivals' wounds, they never really went in for the kill. With the title race all but decided heading into the contest, Real Madrid looked like a side that wanted to be almost anywhere else. There was a sense of inevitability about the outcome from the moment Ferran fired in the second in the 18th minute. 

The Catalans celebrated their successful title defence with a victory parade on the streets of Barcelona on Monday. With a few sore heads likely after the celebrations of the past few days, Flick may freshen things up and hand opportunities to one or two fringe players at Mendizorrotza. 

Since losing 2-1 at Girona in February, Barça have reeled off 11 straight league victories. Some slight tweaks have helped tighten things up at the back over the past few months. For all the focus on the risks attached with their high defensive line, Flick's side have only conceded 31 goals in La Liga this term, which is the best record. 

This game may be more likely to follow the trend of their early-season matches, at least if Alavés' recent results are anything to go by. Both teams have scored in all nine of the Basque club's fixtures since they appointed Quique Sánchez Flores as their new coach in March. 

The ex-Watford boss has certainly got this team playing with a bit more quality in the final third, but he has only overseen two victories. A 4-2 derby defeat against Athletic Club in their most recent home game was particularly damaging, while they drew 1-1 away to fellow strugglers Elche on Saturday. 

That result ensured they would head into the final three games in the relegation zone. However, with the bottom half of La Liga an incredibly congested place, Alavés are by no means dead and buried. 

Two wins would push them onto 43 points, which would almost certainly be enough for safety. Favourable remaining fixtures away to already-relegated Real Oviedo, and at home to Conference League finalists Rayo Vallecano, suggest they'll have a shot at beating the drop, even if they fail to upset the champions. 

*You can check out all of our Football Odds over on betfred.com

Team News: 

Alavés have had injury concerns over their two main strikers heading into this game. Lucas Boyé is still struggling with a hamstring issue and is rated doubtful. However, top scorer Toni Martínez is expected to be fit to lead the line again, after converting from the penalty spot at the weekend. 

Otherwise, Alavés have few selection issues. Sánchez Flores tends to use a 3-5-2 system, with Ibrahim Diabate likely to partner Martínez in attack. 

Barcelona will again be missing the injured Yamal, while Andreas Christensen remains a doubt. Raphinha is suspended after picking up a booking after coming off the bench in El Clásico. 

Flick may opt for extensive rotation, which could mean starts for the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal, Alejandro Balde, Roony Bardghji and Robert Lewandowski. 

Match Odds: 

Barcelona are priced at 11/10 to make it 12 wins on the spin in La Liga. You can back Alavés to make a huge leap towards safety by winning this match at 21/10. The Draw is on offer at 11/4. 

If you're expecting a motivated Alavés side to start quickly, they're priced at 23/10 to be leading at the interval. You can also back the Basques to win either half at 10/11, while they're available at 21/10 to score in both halves. 

Alternatively, Barcelona are given a 7/2 chance of winning to nil. You can back the visitors with a -1 Handicap at 13/5, while Over 3.5 goals is priced at 6/5. 

This will be another opportunity for Lewandowski and Rashford to show why they are worthy of continuing at Camp Nou next season. The former is priced at 11/10 to score anytime. You can also back the Englishman to build on his stunning free-kick against Real Madrid, by scoring anytime at 7/4. 

From a home perspective, both Diabate and Martínez are on offer at 7/5 to get on the scoresheet. You can back the latter to score a header at 15/2. 

*You can place a bet on this match and check out all of our Alaves vs Barcelona Odds over on betfred.com

Bet 1 - Alavés over 9.5 shots & Alavés over 3.5 corners @ 5/6 

While the 100-point objective will be a source of motivation for Barcelona, this clash may come around a little too quickly following El Clásico and their title celebrations. Alavés are fighting for their lives, and will play with a level of intensity that may be difficult for their opponents to match. 

Alavés have carried a genuine attacking threat since they appointed Sánchez Flores. They are averaging exactly two goals per game with the 61-year-old at the helm. The hosts also average 5.94 corners per 90 minutes in front of their own fans this season. 

I can see them asking plenty of questions in this game, and I'm using the Bet Builder to back Alavés to have over 9.5 shots and win over 3.5 corners at 5/6. 

Bet 2 - Toni Martínez to score anytime @ 7/5 

The ace in Alavés' pack as they bid to mount a late escape act is certainly Martínez. He has been in stunning form, with seven goals in his past seven appearances. 

The 28-year-old is a real handful, with his average of 4.8 aerial challenges won per game the highest in La Liga. Having been cleared to play in this match, Martínez will surely be the focal point of the home team's attacking threat again. 

With Barcelona expected to rotate in defence, and potentially even in goal where Wojciech Szczęsny is the unconvincing alternative to Joan García, I'm backing Martínez to score anytime at 7/5. 

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...

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