Barcelona v Alaves - Preview and possible lineups

Barcelona: Reigning champions Barcelona will go into this fixture as clear favourites. They go into Saturday's match having just won the Spanish Super Cup last weekend against Sevilla, and will be looking to start their La Liga campaign with a win as well. Valverde has a lot of options at his disposal, after making a raft of summer signings. However, it's likely that the Barcelona boss will stick with his trusted starting eleven, with the only query being Dembele, whose appearance will depend on how he has performed in training.

Alaves: Barcelona's last loss at Camp Nou was against Alaves in September 2016, but it is unlikely that history will repeat itself. Alaves are also suffering from a few important players being out due to injury. Winger Ibai Gomez and defender Rodrigo Ely have both been ruled out indefinitely, leaving the team with a few gaps. Alaves strengthened their side during the summer transfer window with the addition of experienced defensive midfielder Tomas Pina. Abelardo Fernandez will have the choice between Guidetti and Borja Baston who is on loan with the club from Swansea.

What the bosses say:

Valverde is careful not to underestimate his sides' opponents:

"Alavés are a side that tend to play well at Camp Nou. They'll come with the same idea, loyal to their style"

"We treat every competition the same. We fight for them all. We have a great squad to deal with the different challenges"

Alaves boss Abelardo is looking for consistency from his side in the top division:

"We are going to try not to suffer as much as last year, to be consistent, and that consistency can be achieved"

"We are looking forward to returning to the competition and we feel priveleged to play in the top division."

Previous form:

Possible lineups:

Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, Semedo, Umtiti, Pique, Jordi Alba, Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal, Suarez, Messi, Coutinho

Alaves XI: Pacheco, Laguardia, Navarro, Aguirregabiria, Marin, Pina, Burgui, Wakaso, Garcia, Sobrino, Guidetti