Barcelonavs.Espanyol

Hansi Flick's side thumped Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico last weekend to move six points clear at the summit, while Espanyol, who are 17th in the division, will enter the Barcelona derby off the back of a 4-0 win over San Tirso in the Copa del Rey.

Match preview

Barcelona will be aiming to make it six straight wins in all competitions on Sunday afternoon, and a victory over their Catalan rivals would see them open up a nine-point lead at the top of the division.

Real Madrid had been due to take on Valencia on Saturday, but the fixture has been postponed due to the devastating floods in Spain, so Barcelona will have the chance to move nine points clear of their rivals this weekend.

Flick's side put in a stunning performance at Bernabeu last time out to beat Real Madrid 4-0, with Robert Lewandowski (two), Lamine Yamal and Raphinha on the scoresheet, with that result following a 4-1 success over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Barcelona have won 10 and lost one of their 11 league matches this season, scoring 37 times in the process, and it is difficult to see where the winning run ends, as they will be the big favourites to triumph in their next three ahead of the international break against Espanyol, Red Star Belgrade and Real Sociedad, before returning to action away to Celta Vigo.

The 27-time Spanish champions are unbeaten in their last 26 La Liga matches against Espanyol, while they have been victorious in 102 of their 176 games versus their Catalan rivals in Spain's top flight.

Lewandowski is having a stunning season, scoring 17 goals in 14 appearances, while Raphinha has 10 goals and nine assists in 14 outings; Yamal has also starred once again, managing six goals and seven assists during the 2024-25 campaign.

Despite Espanyol struggling to overcome Barcelona in recent history, two of their last three La Liga meetings between the two teams have finished level, including a 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture during the 2022-23 campaign.

The White and Blues secured a return to Spain's top flight through last season's Segunda Division playoffs, and a total of 10 points from 11 matches has left them in 17th spot in the La Liga table.

Manolo Gonzalez's side have won three, drawn one and lost seven of their 11 La Liga games this term, while they have conceded 19 times, which is the joint-third worst defensive record in the division.

Espanyol were beaten 2-0 at home by Sevilla in the league last weekend, but they will enter this match off the back of a 4-0 victory over San Tirso in the first round of the Copa del Rey, with Alejo Veliz hitting a hat trick.

It is a big ask for Gonzalez's team to overcome the division leaders this weekend considering their form, but they have a huge game against fellow strugglers Valencia next weekend, before returning to action after the international break away to Girona.

Barcelona La Liga form:

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Barcelona form (all competitions):

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Espanyol La Liga form:

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Espanyol form (all competitions):

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Team News

Barcelona will again be without the services of Ferran Torres, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo for this weekend's contest, while Eric Garcia is a major doubt, as the defender has still not been able to return to training after suffering a recent muscular problem.

The hosts have not reported any fresh concerns, so Flick will select the majority of the players that took to the field for the first whistle against Real Madrid, but fit-again duo Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo are pushing for starts.

De Jong and Olmo could come in for Marc Casado and Fermin Lopez, but Gavi may have to accept a spot on the bench once again, as he continues this recovery from a long-term knee problem.

Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha have all been in excellent form during the 2024-25 campaign, and the trio will continue in the final third of the field for the Catalan giants.

As for Espanyol, Veliz scored a hat trick against San Tirso in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night and has put himself in contention for a start here, with the number nine potentially featuring alongside Javi Puado in the final third of the field.

Pol Lozano had to be substituted after coming off the bench in the cup fixture, and he is not set to miss out with a muscular issue, but Jose Gragera should be back in the side after overcoming a foot problem.

Fernando Calero and Edu Exposito are still out through injury, but there will be further changes from Thursday's fixture, with Alex Kral, Joan Garcia and Alvaro Tejero among those set to return to the side.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Olivan; Tejero, Kral, Gragera, Carreras; Puado, Veliz

We say: Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol

Espanyol are capable of making this a tricky match for Barcelona, and we are backing the visitors to get their name on the scoresheet. However, we just cannot see a scenario which does not lead to Barcelona picking up another three points, with Flick's side in line to open up a nine-point advantage at the top of the table this weekend.

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