Barcelona XI vs. Deportivo Alaves: Champions Get Raphinha Back—Injury News, Predicted Lineup

Barcelona will get a guard of honor in their bout against Deportivo Alavés.

Raphinha returned from injury in El Clásico. | Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Barcelona visit Deportivo Alavés on Wednesday night just 72 hours after becoming La Liga champions for the 29th time in club history.

May 10, 2026 will live on forever in Barcelona history as the day they defeated Real Madrid in El Clásico to clinch back-to-back league titles. Never before in the history of the rivalry had the title been mathetically decided in that fixture.

Hansi Flick’s men have been celebrating their successful title defense since Sunday’s 2–0 win, but three more games remain before the end of the season. The Catalans will now make their debut as 2025–26 Spanish champions away against relegation-candidate Deportivo Alavés.

It might seem like there’s nothing left to play for, but Barcelona are trying to become the third side in La Liga history to reach the 100-point mark, and that is only achievable if Barça go perfect in their last three games.

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Flick Rotations Expected, But How Drastic?

Jule Koundé (left) and Alejandro Balde could get the nod after losing their starting job. | Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Barcelona are the healthiest they’ve been since the start of the season, with Lamine Yamal and Andreas Christensen the only unavailable players after Raphinha and Marc Bernal returned from injury in El Clásico.

Flick is expected to rotate his side in their trip to the Basque country, but just how extreme the rotations are is the biggest question. Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé could return to the lineup after losing their starting roles to João Cancelo and Eric García respectively.

Pedri and Gavi are expected to continue completing the midfield pivot as Barcelona are finally able to deploy the pair together consistently after almost three seasons.

Up front, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford should operate on the wings with Robert Lewandowski, who could be on the final dates of his Barcelona farewell tour, leading the line.

• ⚠️ Key injuries, absentees, doubts: Lamine Yamal, Andreas Christensen.
• 🔢 Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1

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Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Deportivo Alavés

Flick has a wealth of alternatives at his disposal. | FotMob

GK: Joan García—Fifteen La Liga clean sheets and counting plus a maiden Zamora trophy all but guaranteed, what a debut season it’s been for García as a Blaugrana. The 2026 World Cup could be on the horizon.

RB: Jules Koundé—Koundé has had a shaky season and speculation regarding his future has increased in volume lately. Still, the Frenchman could be in line to start protecting the right flank.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—It’s not exaggeration to say that ever since his costly red card against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, Cubarsí has been playing at the highest level of his entire career. He’s been flawless in the run-in.

CB: Eric García—The versatile García will start in the heart of defense, giving Gerard Martín some well-earned rest. Many thought the former Man City man was nothing but a rotation piece entering the term, but Cubarsí is Barça’s only outfield player with more La Liga minutes than García this season.

LB: Alejandro Balde—Much like Koundé, Balde has had a subpar season and João Cancelo has assumed the starting left back role on pure merit since late winter. The dynamic fullback’s development appears to have somewhat stalled, but he’s still a serviceable piece and he’ll get the nod against Alaves.

DM: Gavi—It almost seems like Flick is making a concentrated effort on doing everything in his power to help Gavi convince Luis de la Fuente he deserves to go to the World Cup. After missing over six months of the season, the 21-year-old midfielder has started six straight games and looks better and better with every passing match.

DM: Pedri—It took Pedri some time to find his best version after coming back from injury in February, but he’s been dominant in recent weeks, elegantly controlling games from the middle of the park.

RW: Marcus Rashford—What an end of the season Rashford is having filling Yamal’s massive void on the right wing. With 28 goal contributions, he’s made his case for Barcelona to permanently sign him this summer, even if that possibility remains uncertain at best.

AM: Dani Olmo—Olmo’s delicate, back-heel flick for Ferran Torres’s goal in El Clásico is one of the most aesthetically pleasing assists you’ll ever see. The platinum blonde attacking midfielder is capable of producing magic, and that was just the latest example of his undeniable quality.

LW: Raphinha—The Brazilian could make his first start for Barça since March 22. He looked out of sorts in his Clásico cameo, so he’ll be aiming to knock off some of that rust before the end of the season and the 2026 World Cup.

ST: Robert Lewandowski—With La Liga wrapped up, Flick could allow Lewandowski to feature prominently in what will most likely be his final three games for Barcelona. The legendary pole needs just two more goals to secure his 15th straight 20-goal season.

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