Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Barcelona vs Alaves

La Liga action continues on Tuesday and Barcelona could be the winner by the time the weekend arrives. Lionel Messi and company sit comfortably in first place have a record of 23-8-2 with 77 points and a nine-point lead over Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League. Barca faces eighth-place Alaves on Tuesday, with the underdogs having a 12-10-11 record and 46 points. If Barca wins and Atletico Madrid loses to Valencia on Wednesday, Barca wins the league. 

Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
La Liga: Barcelona vs. Deportivo Alaves

    Date: Tuesday, April 23
    Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
    Location: 3:30 p.m. ET
    TV channel: beIN Sports
    Streaming: Free TV (Try for free) 
    Odds: Barcelona -145 / Alaves +310 / Draw +280



Storylines Barcelona: They would love nothing more than to clinch the title and rest everyone this weekend ahead of the Champions League semifinals against Liverpool. What's important here is for Barca to not worry too much about what happens in Madrid on Wednesday and just take care of business. Going on the road, it wouldn't be a surprise to see some of the key players rested, but what's more likely is for them to place and then rest this weekend.

Storylines Alaves: This team hopes to get a little bit of revenge after being crushed by Barca in August 3-0 with two goals from Lionel Messi. It's been a rough second half of the season for this team, which at one point was in contention for a top-four finish. Alaves enters this game with just three wins since mid January and no victories in its last five. 
Barcelona vs. Alaves prediction

Some of Barca's key players rest up, but it doesn't stop the team from getting a narrow victory.

Barcelona could wrap up the La Liga title in Week 34, with victory at Alaves on Tuesday potentially enough to guarantee them a second successive league crown.

Atletico Madrid sit nine points behind with five games remaining in their season. They'll only be able to finish level on points with Barca if the Blaugrana defeat Alaves while they lose at home to Valencia on Wednesday, and Atleti's head-to-head record means they couldn't overhaul their Camp Nou rivals.

Alaves are eighth in La Liga and could temporarily move up to seventh with a positive result, though they've lost in each of Barca's last four visits to the Mendizorrotza Stadium.

Ernesto Valverde's side have added motivation to secure their 24th win of the league campaign, too, knowing they'd be guaranteed to finish above rivals Real Madrid in third.