Barcelonavs.Espanyol

Barcelona thumped Real Madrid 4-0 in Spain's top flight last weekend, with the result leaving them top of the La Liga table, six points clear of second-placed Los Blancos, who have seen their clash with Valencia, which was scheduled for Saturday, postponed.

As a result, Flick's side will have the chance to open up a nine-point advantage at the summit this weekend.

Espanyol, meanwhile, have picked up 10 points from their opening 11 matches of the 2024-25 campaign, which has left them in 17th spot in the division, one point ahead of the relegation zone.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides ahead of their contest on Sunday afternoon.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 216

Barcelona wins: 126

Draws: 46

Espanyol wins: 44

The Barcelona derby dates back to the 1928-29 season, and the fierce rivals have now locked horns on 216 occasions throughout history, with Barcelona certainly the dominant force in the fixture.

Indeed, Barcelona have won 126 of their 216 meetings, with Espanyol posting 44 victories, while there have also been 46 draws.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Barcelona derby, having found the back of the net on 25 occasions while representing Barcelona, while Josep Escola is second in the list with 14.

The last meeting between the two sides took place in May 2023, with Barcelona running out 4-2 winners, but two of their last three encounters have finished level, including a 1-1 draw in the corresponding game during the 2022-23 campaign.

Espanyol's last win over Barcelona was a 1-0 success in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final back in January 2018, but they have not managed to overcome their rivals in La Liga since February 2009.

Ivan de la Pena scored twice in the famous Espanyol victory at Camp Nou, with Yaya Toure's strike in the 62nd minute only proving to be a consolation, as the visitors secured all three points against a side that boasted the likes of Xavi, Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry.

Barcelona have dominated their La Liga meetings, winning 102 of their 176 games in the competition, suffering only 34 defeats, while they have managed 340 league goals against their rivals.

Barcelona's unbeaten run against Espanyol in La Liga stands at 26 matches, which is an indication of the size of the away team's task this weekend, especially considering the form of Flick's side this season.

Espanyol were actually relegated to the Segunda Division in July 2020 after losing 1-0 to Barcelona in La Liga, while Barcelona won the 2022-23 La Liga title with a 4-2 success in Espanyol's stadium.

Last 20 meetings

May 14, 2023: Espanyol 2-4 Barcelona (La Liga)

Dec 31, 2022: Barcelona 1-1 Espanyol (La Liga)

Feb 13, 2022: Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona (La Liga)

Nov 20, 2021: Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Jul 08, 2020: Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Jan 04, 2020: Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona (La Liga)

Mar 30, 2019: Barcelona 2-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Dec 08, 2018: Espanyol 0-4 Barcelona (La Liga)

Feb 04, 2018: Espanyol 1-1 Barcelona (La Liga)

Jan 25, 2018: Barcelona 2-0 Espanyol (Copa del Rey Quarter-Finals)

Jan 17, 2018: Espanyol 1-0 Barcelona (Copa del Rey Quarter-Finals)

Sep 09, 2017: Barcelona 5-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Apr 29, 2017: Espanyol 0-3 Barcelona (La Liga)

Dec 18, 2016: Barcelona 4-1 Espanyol (La Liga)

May 08, 2016: Barcelona 5-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Jan 13, 2016: Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona (Copa del Rey Round Five)

Jan 06, 2016: Barcelona 4-1 Espanyol (Copa del Rey Round Five)

Jan 02, 2016: Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona (La Liga)

Apr 25, 2015: Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona (La Liga)

Dec 07, 2014: Barcelona 5-1 Espanyol (La Liga)

Last 10 La Liga meetings

May 14, 2023: Espanyol 2-4 Barcelona (La Liga)

Dec 31, 2022: Barcelona 1-1 Espanyol (La Liga)

Feb 13, 2022: Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona (La Liga)

Nov 20, 2021: Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Jul 08, 2020: Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Jan 04, 2020: Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona (La Liga)

Mar 30, 2019: Barcelona 2-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

Dec 08, 2018: Espanyol 0-4 Barcelona (La Liga)

Feb 04, 2018: Espanyol 1-1 Barcelona (La Liga)

Sep 09, 2017: Barcelona 5-0 Espanyol (La Liga)

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