Barcelona hope extend their lead at the top of La Liga.
La Blaugrana extended their advantage at the summit in style last weekend, hammering Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Four unanswered second-half strikes secured a memorable victory and fired Barcelona six points ahead of the reigning champions. That margin will be extended to nine this weekend if Hansi Flick’s side beat Espanyol following the postponement of Madrid’s clash with Valencia.
Barca have dominated this particular derby over recent years, with Espanyol having failed to win this fixture since January 2018. Having spent last term in the second division, Espanyol are meeting their local rivals for the first time since a 4-2 defeat in May 2023 – a fixture which secured the 2022/23 La Liga title for Xavi’s Barca.
Espanyol have made a largely underwhelming start to their La Liga return, with just ten points accumulated from their opening 11 matches. They have tasted five defeats in their last six league outings but did earn some respite midweek after beating San Tirso 4-0 in the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona continue to battle a lengthy list of absentees and Flick is still without Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Marc Bernal and Ferran Torres. Eric Garcia is also a doubt for the weekend’s match-up.
However, they have been buoyed by the return of some key midfielders in recent weeks, with Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Dani Olmo all making their comebacks.
De Jong has been eased back into the team but could make his first start since April against Espanyol. Olmo could also replace Fermin Lopez in the number ten spot.
