Okay so yesterday I wanted to check how Barcelona usually plays against Alaves. Not for any serious reason, just felt like it while drinking coffee. Started with basic Google search like “barca alaves history”. Tons of sites popped up but half were sketchy betting places or wanted logins. Got annoyed scrolling past those.
Where I Checked Stats
First tried league’s official app but couldn’t find past matches filter easily. Gave up after 5 minutes. Then remembered FotMob app on my phone. Went to “Head-to-Head” section under Alaves’ page. Found this:
- Last FIVE meetings: Barca won 3, Alaves won 1, drew once.
- That Alaves win? Back in late 2020 at their home ground. Wild.
- Most recent match: February 2024. Barca won 3-1 at home.
Searched highlights from that February match on YouTube – pure muscle memory move. Saw Lewandowski’s penalty goal was kinda weak but counted anyway.
The Weird Part
Kept digging because stat sites showed different numbers on yellow cards. One site said Barca got 12 yellows in last 5 matches against Alaves, another said 18. Who even tracks that? Called my football-crazy cousin Javier. He said Alaves players foul a lot when losing to Barca. Made sense.
Checked league table positions during past matches. Last season when Alaves won, Barca was having that weird crisis season. That explained everything.
Why I Bothered
Now you might think: “Why waste time on this?”. See, my dumb neighbor Paco bet €50 last month claiming Alaves would beat Barca “because history”. Showed him the stats yesterday. His face dropped like he’d seen a ghost. Called me a nerd but shut up real fast.
The funny end? Paco actually paid me back with barbecue ribs today instead of cash. Guess stats made him hungry.