Barcelona face Alaves at the Mendizorrotza Stadium looking to further strengthen their grip of top spot in the La Liga standings.

Alaves play host to the league leaders with the desire to end a five-match winless streak which has led to the club dropping down to eighth position.

Alaves

Alaves had been challenging for a place in next season's Champions League before the start of the last international break, but boss Abelardo Fernandez now faces a big task in trying to ensure that the club's campaign does not peter out in the closing weeks.

A run of 12 points from six matches has been followed by no victory in five attempts, and Alaves have now not kept a clean sheet in their last eight games.

El Glorioso still have to play some of the teams around them in the table, but Abelardo will be aware that his side cannot afford a heavy defeat heading into matches of a high magnitude.

There will be a satisfaction that the club remain on course to comfortably build on their 14th position from last year, but neither Abelardo nor his squad will want to end the season out of form.

Their biggest recent disappointment is letting slip two leads in home encounters with Leganes and Real Valladolid, opposition who sit in 12th and 18th place respectively in the standings.

The opportunity was there to put daylight between themselves and a number of teams who are also hoping to finish in seventh spot, but Alaves are now under pressure to earn something from one of their meetings with Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.

The main positive for Alaves is that Jonathan Calleri and John Guidetti have started to get themselves on the scoresheet on a regular basis, and that run must continue over the coming weeks.

Alaves are big underdogs to earn anything from the fixture on Tuesday night, but Abelardo will at least demand that his side are more resolute at the back to give their supporters hope heading into their final four contests.

Recent form: WLLDLD

Barcelona

Barcelona have ambitions to complete the treble this season, and that may lead to Ernesto Valverde tinkering with his starting lineup ahead of the club's upcoming hectic schedule.

However, Valverde will also be keen to successfully wrap up the defence of their league crown at the earliest opportunity with just two victories required to see off the challenge of Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona have not had it all their own way on the domestic scene in recent weeks, but the Catalan giants have still been able to extend their unbeaten record in Spain's top flight to 21 matches.

Valverde's rotation has contributed to draws at each of Villarreal and Huesca, but Barcelona were still below their best when a strong team was named for Saturday's clash with Real Sociedad.

Barcelona needed to rely on goals from Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba, and it further highlighted that Valverde's men still need to improve if they are to end their wait for another Champions League crown.

There is naturally a reliance on Lionel Messi due to his 43 goals in this season's La Liga and European football's premier competition, but the Argentine requires more assistance from his attack-minded teammates.

Luis Suarez has failed to contribute a goal or assist from his last three outings in all competitions, while supporters continue to demand more from Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.

Tuesday's game could provide an opportunity for that trio to rediscover their best form, and Valverde will want his team to put themselves in a position where they could potentially claim the title against Levante at the weekend.

Recent form: WWDWDW
Recent form (all competitions) DWWDWW

Team News

Valverde is likely to make changes to his starting lineup, and that could lead to a recall for Coutinho.

Sergio Busquets should also come back into the team after dropping down to the bench at the weekend, while Sergi Roberto and Malcom may be handed roles in the first XI.

Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic and Messi could be named among the replacements with next week's showdown with Liverpool in mind, while Dembele may also feature on the bench.

Abelardo may name the same team which began the game against Valladolid, but Burgui remains on the sidelines through injury.

Alaves possible starting lineup:
Pacheco; Aguirregabiria; Ely, Maripan, Marin; Inui, Garcia, Pina, Jony; Guidetti, Calleri

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Lenglet, Alba; Vidal, Busquets, Arthur; Coutinho, Suarez, Malcom

Head To Head

Barcelona head into this week's game having put together a five-match winning streak against Alaves, with 16 goals being netted since February 2017.

Alaves last had success against the Catalan giants when they registered a surprise 2-1 win at Camp Nou in September 2016.

We say: Alaves 0-3 Barcelona

Barcelona may not name their strongest XI for Tuesday's fixture, but they should still ease to victory. Alaves are struggling at the back, and facing a motivated Barcelona side has come at the wrong time.