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Barcelona v Espanyol: Line-ups, stats and preview

Barcelona face Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday. Read our in-depth preview here

Written by Mitch Fretton
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Barcelona v Espanyol: Line-ups, stats and preview

Barcelona will be aiming to make it seven straight wins in La Liga when they welcome Catalan rivals Espanyol on Saturday.

Hansi Flick’s side sit top of the table, seven points clear of Real Madrid, and remain on course for the title despite a recent setback in Europe.

A 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League has left work to do in the second leg, but their domestic form has been consistently strong.

Barcelona have won 25 of their 30 league matches this season, scoring 80 goals in the process, and have dominated this fixture in recent years. They have won their last four meetings with Espanyol and are unbeaten in the derby since 2018.

Espanyol, meanwhile, are enduring a difficult run. Currently 10th in the table, they sit six points adrift of the European places and have failed to win a league match since December.

Team news for Barcelona v Espanyol

Barcelona players celebrate scoring against Newcastle

Barcelona are expected to be without Pedri, who picked up a hamstring issue in midweek, which could open the door for Gavi to start.

Frenkie de Jong could return to the squad, but Marc Bernal remains a doubt. Andreas Christensen and Raphinha are ruled out.

Changes are expected, with Ronald Araujo, Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres all pushing to start, while Pau Cubarsi is available domestically.

Espanyol welcome back Pere Milla from suspension, but Javi Puado remains sidelined with a knee injury.

Clemens Riedel is suspended, meaning Fernando Calero is likely to come into the defence.

Expected line-ups for Barcelona v Espanyol

Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; E Garcia, Gavi; Yamal, F Lopez, Olmo; F Torres

Espanyol: Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Ngonge, Gonzalez, Milla, Lozano, Dolan; Fernandez

Where to watch Barcelona v Espanyol: TV channel, live stream

The match will be available to watch live in the UK on LaLigaTV and Premier Sports, with streaming options available via the respective platforms.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00pm BST on Saturday.

The stats for Barcelona v Espanyol

  • Barcelona have won their last six La Liga matches
  • Barcelona have won 25 of their 30 league games this season
  • Barcelona are unbeaten against Espanyol since 2018
  • Espanyol have not won a league match since December
  • Espanyol have taken five points from their last 13 matches

Prediction for Barcelona v Espanyol

Barcelona’s domestic form and dominance in this fixture should see them claim another win, even with one eye on their upcoming European assignment against Atletico.

Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol

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