Madrid, May 12 (IANS) Already-crowned La Liga champions FC Barcelona will travel to face Deportivo Alavés on Wednesday in a crucial match at the bottom end of the table. While Barcelona have already secured the league title, Alaves are desperately fighting to avoid relegation.

Alaves currently sit third from bottom in the standings and are two points behind 17th-placed RCD Espanyol. A defeat or even a draw could leave them stuck in the relegation zone at the end of the round, making this a must-win game for the home side.

The match at Mendizorroza Stadium has already sold out, showing how important the game is for the Alaves supporters. However, the home team has injury concerns ahead of the contest. Striker Lucas Boye will miss the match because of a hamstring injury, while leading scorer Toni Martinez is doubtful after picking up a physical problem during the weekend draw against Elche.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick is expected to rotate his squad after winning the title. Several players who have not featured regularly in recent weeks could start the match. Veterans and young talents such as Robert Lewandowski, Alejandro Balde, Marc Bernal and Roony Bardghji may all get opportunities in the starting lineup as reported by Xinhua.

Elsewhere in La Liga, the fight for European qualification and survival continues to intensify. Villarreal CF, which has already secured a place in next season’s Champions League, will host Sevilla FC. Sevilla is only three points above Alaves and still not safe from relegation danger.

RCD Mallorca is also involved in the battle. Mallorca sits one point behind Sevilla and faces a difficult away game against Getafe CF, a team currently pushing for qualification to next season’s UEFA Conference League.

Meanwhile, Espanyol will take on Athletic Club in another important match. Espanyol has struggled badly in recent months and is without a win in its last 18 league games, a run stretching back to December. Athletic Club, however, is still chasing a possible top-seven finish and will be looking to keep its European hopes alive.

–IANS

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