Three talking points ahead of Deportivo Alaves vs Barcelona | La Liga MD 36 | OneFootball

The celebrations in Barcelona ran deep into Sunday night after the team won over Real Madrid in El Clasico. The final whistle, after all, signalled not only three points but their crowning moment.

Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres were on the scoreboard on the historic night, and the team will still be in an euphoric state as they prepare for their next game, which is scheduled for tonight.

Later tonight, the reigning champions take to the field at Estadio Mendizorroza on match day 36 of La Liga in what is one of their final games of the season. A win on the night, needless to say, will keep the positive mood alive.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Deportivo Alaves vs Barcelona.

The champions arrive

History will remember Barcelona’s league title of 2026 for the years to come, simply because of the manner in which it arrived. After all, it is not every year that La Liga is won in El Clasico in front of home fans.

The weekend’s game was special for Barcelona, as it saw them officially crowned as the champions of La Liga in the faces of Real Madrid. Receiving the trophy on the same night only made the affair sweeter.

Taking to the field for the first time after being crowned the champions, Barcelona will look to deliver a statement performance against Deportivo Alaves and once again reiterate why they are the deserved champions.

The mood in the dressing room is one of jubilation and ecstasy with the young player winning the league title for the second year in a row and for the third time in four years.

Carrying forward that momentum and jubilation into the coming weeks and the next season, needless to say, is essential after all the heartbreak the young players have suffered in other competitions this season.

The 100-point goal

Eyeing the 100-point mark. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

As Barcelona take to the field tonight as champions of La Liga, it would appear that there is not much to fight for. The reality, however, is surprisingly different.

While the league title race is indeed wrapped up, Barcelona are currently seated on 91 points with three games to go and are on course to achieve something historic.

Only twice in La Liga history has the 100-point mark been reached – once by Barcelona and once by Real Madrid. Should Hansi Flick’s side win the three games that remain in La Liga, they will join that elite list on 100 points.

There is not much more to look forward to in the three games that remain, but the chance to go down in history will keep the team’s intensity high. They will not slack off and will look to hit that special milestone.

A win over Alaves tonight will leave Barcelona just two wins away. Real Madrid were the most difficult opposition between Flick’s side and 100 points, and with them out of the way, there is no reason why they cannot achieve the special mark.

Time for rotations?

Hansi Flick is set to renew with Barcelona, and it is clear that the team is in safe hands for the foreseeable future. In that sense, the manager will already have the upcoming season in mind.

With five major trophies in two seasons at the club, Hansi Flick has already become a father-figure and fan-favourite in Catalonia. The UEFA Champions League, however, continues to evade his grip.

Next season, the team will look to make a charge on all fronts, especially in the UCL, which is the one competition they are yet to conquer under Flick. In that sense, the squad planning from this point in time becomes essential.

The manager may thus opt to start rotations in the three games that remain to hand out chances to players who have yet to prove that they can contribute to the squad.

Roony Bardghji, Ronald Araujo, and Alejandro Balde are some of the players in that category.

Further, the manager has another big decision to make over who starts in goal. Having met the minimum games needed for the Zamora trophy, Joan Garcia is the favourite to take home the accolade. 

Any goal he concedes or game he plays now, however, may impede his chances. The manager, thus, could look to hand Wojciech Szczesny a start on the night to keep the veteran match-fit and secure Garcia’s Zamora.