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Barcelona vs. Deportivo Alaves 10/30/21 LaLiga Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Barcelona vs. Deportivo Alaves
October 30, 2021 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Over 2.5 -188, Under 2.5 +150
(Get latest betting odds)

Barcelona is welcoming Deportivo Alaves to Camp Nou in round 12 of the Spanish LaLiga. Well, it finally happened, Koeman was sacked by Barcelona, and I think it will be a good thing. Alaves was able to string a couple of wins together, and because of it, they are now out of the relegation zone.

As I’ve mentioned, Koeman is no longer the head coach in Barcelona, and he was the worst in recent history. The interim head coach will be Barcelona B’s coach, but according to the reports, Barcelona’s legend, the former captain, and one of the best midfielders in the history, Xavi, will take over the team next week. I can’t tell you how much this makes me happy because Xavi has been doing an extraordinary job in Qatar, and he deserves a chance in this club. Barcelona is now in 9th place in the standings, but the top 5 isn’t that far, as long as Barcelona can start winning games. Earlier this week against Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona has had 69% of ball possession, but only 1 shot on goal, 7 corner kicks, 5 big chances created, and 88% of the correct passes, which is all useless if you don’t pass the ball forward. Barcelona has also missed a penalty kick, and they lost this game 1-0. Changes are coming to Barcelona, and they are much needed, but let’s not expect them right away. But I think that Xavi will turn this team on the right track once again.

As I’ve mentioned, Alaves is on a 2-game winning streak during which they scored 3 goals while conceding 0 goals, and that is a huge accomplishment for this team. With 3 scored goals, Joselu is the leading goalscorer for Alaves, and he is expected to be in the starting lineup in this game as well. Yes, these two wins were against some of the weakest teams in the league, but these are the teams Alaves must beat if they want to stay in LaLiga. In their last game against Elche, Alaves has had only 38% of ball possession, but 5 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks, 3 big chances created, and 79% of the correct passes. Deportivo Alaves has scored at the start of the second half, and they have won this game 1-0. There aren’t easy games for Alaves, but the schedule is solid for them over the next few weeks, and if they can keep defending this well, Alaves might win a few more points.

Barcelona has been dominant in this matchup, and despite their poor form, they are still a massive favorite here. I can’t know if firing Koeman will have a positive impact on the team, but I think it will, and they might not show it just yet, but I think Barcelona will turn the corner in this game.

Goran Kucar's Free Pick: Barcelona and over 3.5 +175

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Goran Kucar

I was born and raised in Croatia, and with that, I was raised with soccer all around me. I love playing soccer, watching soccer, and now I love writing and handicapping soccer at PickDawgz and SportsChatPlace.

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