Barcelona take just 16 players to the Basque Country for their final league game of the season, including three goalkeepers.
Coach Quique Setien is still without the injured Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Umtiti for the trip to Alaves, while Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic and Junior Firpo miss out through suspension and Arthur has not been selected after complaining of an ankle problem.
Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig are in the squad, even though they were both due to play in a key promotion play-off for Barca B.
That leaves very few options for Setien, with just five on the bench (with 12 currently allowed post-pandemic) and just three outfield players as substitutes.
The under-pressure Barca coach could hand a start to Frenkie de Jong in midfield after the Dutchman made his return from a calf injury as a late substitute in the 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna on Thursday night.
“It’s important that we finish with better feelings than we had in the last game,” Setien said on Saturday. “And we have to prepare for the Champions League.”
Osumane Dembele is ineligible for LaLiga after he was deregistered for the competition to allow Barca to sign Martin Braithwaite in an emergency deal in February, but the French winger is stepping up his fitness after a long-term injury and should be back for the Champions League next month as the Catalans look to overcome Napoli at Camp Nou in the second leg of the teams’ last-16 tie.
Alaves predicted XI: Jimenez; Aguirregabiria, Magallan, Laguardia, Marin; Garcia, Pina, Pons; Vidal, Perez, Sainz
Barcelona predicted XI: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Vidal; Messi, Suarez, Ansu Fati
