Barcelona will have the chance to open up a nine-point lead at the top of the La Liga table when they welcome Catalan rivals Espanyol to their temporary home of Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday afternoon.
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.
Barcelona have won 10 and lost one of their 11 league matches this season, scoring 37 times in the process. Star striker Robert Lewandowski has 17 goals in 14 appearances, while winger Raphinha has contributed 10 goals and nine assists. Teenager Lamine Yamal has also shone with six goals and seven assists.
The 27-time Spanish champions are unbeaten in their last 26 La Liga matches against Espanyol and have been victorious in 102 of their 176 games versus their Catalan rivals in Spain’s top flight. However, two of the last three meetings between the two teams have finished level.
Despite Espanyol’s struggling form, which has them sitting 17th in the table, they will enter this match off the back of their cup victory. Manager Manolo Gonzalez will hope his side can carry that momentum into the Catalan derby, though overcoming the in-form league leaders represents a significant challenge.
Barcelona will be without several key players due to injury, including Ferran Torres, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Andreas Christensen. However, the depth of Flick’s squad means he can still field a formidable lineup led by the prolific Lewandowski. The return of Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo could provide additional creativity.
While Espanyol are capable of making this a tricky match for Barcelona, the league leaders’ quality and form make them strong favorites to extend their advantage at the top of the table. Our prediction is a 3-1 victory for Barcelona, as they continue their march towards the La Liga title.
