Barcelona Faces Alaves Amid Injury Challenges

Barcelona faces Deportivo Alaves with the aim of recovering from a recent 4-2 league defeat to Osasuna, having previously secured a 5-0 win against Young Boys in the Champions League. Despite injury challenges, Barcelona is expected to start with Inaki Pena as goalkeeper against Alaves, as Wojciech Szczesny replaces the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the lineup. Alaves, sitting mid-table, have lost their last two league games and will make several lineup changes for their clash with Barcelona. On a broader league front, Real Madrid's victory over Villarreal has brought them level on points with league leaders Barcelona, while Real also contends with a recent 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League, ending their 36-game unbeaten streak. Both Real Madrid and Villarreal are dealing with injury challenges, with several key players unavailable for their respective matches.