Group defending Alaba's header, with cheers from Barcelona maybe (7)
I believe the answer is:
catalan
'barcelona maybe' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'group defending alaba's header with cheers' is the wordplay.
'group' becomes 'clan' ().
'defending' means one lot of letters goes inside another (inserted letters are defended).
'header' says to take the initial letters (in a down clue, the letter at the top of the word).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'cheers' becomes 'ta' (both can informally mean thank you).
The initial letter of 'alaba' is 'a'.
'a'+'ta'='ata'
'clan' enclosing 'ata' is 'CATALAN'.
'from' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for catalan that I've seen before include "European language" , "Language of northeast Spain" , "Native of northeast Spain" , "Person from Barcelona?" , "Of NE Spanish region" .)