Barcelona-Espanyol is a match on the 15th day of La Liga and is played on Saturday at 14:00: odds, predictions, TV and streaming.
Barcelona take to the pitch just hours before New Year’s Eve and theirs will undoubtedly be a start with a bang. The Spotify Camp Nou hosts the city derby against Espanyol, against whom Xavi’s battleship will have to make way in order to continue their unbridled run towards the title.
In the penultimate day before the World Cup break, the blaugrana had managed to overtake their eternal rivals Real Madrid at the top, having fallen by surprise in the Madrid derby against Rayo Vallecano. And thanks to five consecutive victories against Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Almeria and Osasuna, they took the lead in the standings. They now have a two-point lead over Carlo Ancelotti’s Blancos, who are forced to chase.
The feeling is that the fight for the lead is now all about them, given the huge gap (10 points) after fourteen matches to third place, occupied by Atletico Madrid. The last match played by the Catalans was last November, when a goal from Brazilian Raphinha gave Xavi three precious points at Osasuna in a fiery finale. Barça therefore arrive at the derby without having played even one friendly
Espanyol, on the other hand, were recently involved in the Copa del Rey, where on 20 December they got the better of Atletico Paso 1-0, advancing to the next round despite a less than impressive performance. Diego Martinez’s side are currently 16th, just one point ahead of third-last-placed Sevilla. As for the latest line-up news, Xavi can smile: Lewandowski’s suspension has been lifted and he will be on the pitch against his cousins.
Sergi Darder of Espanyol
The Prediction
The only unknowns relate solely to Barcelona’s fitness, as they have not been on the pitch for almost two months. In any case, a Blaugrana victory remains probable, in a match in which Xavi’s team – perfect in the first three months of the championship – should also keep their goals unbroken, having conceded only five goals in 14 matches.
Barcelona v Espanyol matchday squad
- BARCELONA (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Bellerín, Eric García, Christensen, Balde; Busquets, de Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran Torres.
- ESPANYOL (4-3-3): Lecomte; Óscar Gil, Calero, Cabrera, Oliván; Vinícius Souza, Edu Expósito, Sergi Darder; Javi Puado, Braithwaite, Joselu.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-0
