The lowdown on Alavés

FC Barcelona host Alavés this Saturday at 9.00pm CEST in their first game under caretaker manager Sergi Barjuan. Let’s take a closer look at the team that stands between them and badly needed points.

Where are they from?

The team are from the picturesque city of Vitoria (or Gasteiz in Basque), which may not be as large as Bilbao or San Sebastián but is considered the de facto capital of the region because this is where all the major political institutions are based. The team itself are named not after the city, but after the province and historical region of Álava (or Araba in Basque).

History

Although football had been played in the city since the turn of the century, it was not until 1921 that a team called by the English name of Sport Friends opted to form an official society, known from then onwards as Deportivo Alavés.

This is the club’s fifth different spell in the top flight, their seventeenth Liga season in total, and their fifth in a row. Although they have never won any major honours, they came close on two famous occasions.

In one of the most dramatic European nights ever, Liverpool looked to have had the 2001 UEFA Cup Final done and dusted with a 3-1 lead at half-time. But the Basques battled back. Jordi Cruyff’s late header meant it ended 4-4 to send the game into golden goal extra time, where Delfí Geli’s own goal meant the cup was headed for Merseyside.

In 2017 they reached another final, this time of the Copa del Rey. Despite a spirited start against Barça, they ended up being outclassed to the tune of a 3-1 defeat.

Nickname

As well as the self-explanatory El Glorioso, Alavés are also known as the Babazorros, a Basque expression meaning ‘bean-sacks’. Though originally used to mock the people of this region, who would allegedly eat beans with everything, the club now uses the name with pride.

Head to head

Since a shock 2-1 win for Alavés at Camp Nou in 2016, Barça have won eight of their last nine games against the Basques in LaLiga, the only exception being a 0-0 draw on their visit to Vitoria last season.

Barça may have dropped two important points at Mendizorrotza, but they dealt with the game at Camp Nou in emphatic fashion, winning 5-1 with braces from Trincao and Leo Messi and one more from Junior Firpo.

Season so far

After surviving another relegation battle last season, 2021/22 didn’t get off to the best of starts for Alavés. They lost seven of their first eight fixtures, scoring a paltry two goals in the pieces.

However, the middle of all that misery came a most unexpected 1-0 defeat of champions Atlético Madrid, and the team’s fortunes have picked up considerably this week with back-to-back wins away to Cadiz and at home to Elche.

The players

International caps
John Guidetti (Sweden, 29); Matt Miazga (USA, 22); Abdallahi Mahmoud (Mauritania, 6); Jesús Owono (Equatorial Guinea, 4); Mamadou Loum (Senegal, 2), Manu García (Spain, 1)

Top goalscorers 2021/22
Joselu (3), Mamadou Loum (1), Víctor Laguardia (1)

The boss

Javier Calleja was a product of the Real Madrid academy, best known as a player at Villarreal, Malaga and Osasuna.

On retirement, he returned to Villarreal to work as a youth coach and a few years later ended up in charge of the senior team. He was relieved of his duties after his first year, but was reappointed soon after. He has been in the Alavés job since April of this year.