FC Barcelona opens their title defence at the Camp Nou against Alaves, a team which recorded two LaLiga draws all 2017/18 season long on its way to finishing 14th. The match kicks off at 22:15 CET on Saturday, August 18.
1.94 (19/20) Asian Handicap Barcelona (-2.5) with bet365
Barcelona vs Alaves Preview
Barcelona didn’t lose a single league game at home last season (W16, D3, L0) and averaged 3.3 goals per game. Based on that, the question becomes not whether Leo Messi and Co. will win, but by how much. Alaves stole a win in Barcelona in 2016/17 and is actually the last and only team to claim victory at Camp Nou in LaLiga over the last two years.
This Alaves team, though, is different than that one. The 2016/17 Alaves reached the Copa del Rey final (where they lost to Barcelona). This one spent the entire 2017/18 campaign in the bottom part of the table. Their best goalscorer is gone, as Munir El Haddadi is back with Barca. Therefore, there isn’t much to look forward to for the guests in this contest.
Meanwhile, Barcelona has been steadily gearing up for the new season. The Catalans followed up two International Champions Cup losses to Roma (2-4) and AC Milan (0-1) with a Super Cup win over Sevilla (2-1) in Morocco and then a Joan Gamper trophy victory against Boca Juniors (3-0) two days ago.
1.94 (19/20) Asian Handicap Barcelona (-2.5) with bet365
Malcom or Dembele – who will it be?
Malcom is Barcelona’s major acquisition this off-season, having come over from Bordeaux for €41 million. He immediately featured and scored in the Roma friendly and opened the scoring versus Boca as well. Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembele gave Barca the Super Cup win with a sizzling strike. The competition for playing time between the two will be one of the main storylines to follow in LaLiga this season.
Brazilian midfielder Arthur and experienced veteran Arturo Vidal should refresh a new-look midfield without its perennial captain Andres Iniesta, who is currently entertaining viewers in Japan. Clement Lenglet had a breakout season for Sevilla and was signed to provide competition for Pique and Umtiti.
Barcelona vs Alaves Bet 365 Odds
Betting on Barcelona won’t get you much in return, but there are a couple of bet365’s betting lines worthy of contemplation.
Asian handicap Barcelona (-2.5) 1.94 (19/20)
Barcelona over 2.5 goals 1.53 (8/15)
Barcelona over 3.5 goals 2.37 (11/8)
