Barcelona vs Espanyol: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

When local rivals Espanyol visit the Nou Camp on Sunday afternoon, Barcelona will hope to widen its lead atop La Liga. Barcelona thrashed its rival last weekend at the Bernabeu and will be looking to fire on as they meet their local rival at Camp Nou.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

First up, the hosts. Some may have been surprised by Hansi Flick's arrival in Catalonia this summer, but Barcelona has gone on an incredible ascent under the German strategist.

Their morale is over the roof after last weekend's historic 4-0 thrashing of rivals Real Madrid, in which they laid down what would become a legendary El Clasico marker. With a 5-1 home win against Sevilla to kick off their return from the international break in October, the Spanish giants are presently six points clear of La Liga. 

Also, Barça is riding a tremendous wave of enthusiasm after taking off Bayern Munich 4-1 last week, another heavyweight. Given that Flick's high-flying club has already scored 30 points, they will surely be looking for another golden chance here.

On the other hand, Manolo Gonzalez's squad has had trouble adjusting to the significant increase in quality, even if Espanyol may have guaranteed their return to La Liga for this season. The Parakeets are considered a heavy favourite to be relegated this season after putting on another dismal display in last weekend's 2-0 home defeat to Sevilla.

The visitors, who returned from the international break in October with a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Athletic Bilbao, are in dire need of a lift heading into Sunday's match. With a rapid ascent in September, Espanyol has fallen down to earth with a lacklustre 1-0 defeat to Real Betis to end the month. Five of Gonzalez's squad's last six La Liga games have ended in defeat. This is going to be really difficult for the Parakeets, who have shown some obvious defensive issues.

Barcelona x Espanyol Team News

German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will likely miss the rest of Barcelona's season after suffering a long-term knee injury last month. Ronald Araujo, who has not played in a single match, is also sitting on the bench this season.

Robert Lewandowski, who has already scored 14 goals in La Liga and got an incredible hat trick in last weekend's El Clasico in the capital, will be aiming to add to his total tonight. Pau Cubarsi, a 17-year-old who has made a significant impression this season, will start in central defence for Flick.

Esposito, a former Eibar midfielder, has been benched all season long without appearing in any La Liga games. Naci Unuvar, a young Turkish player who joined from Twente in the summer, will also sit out Sunday's match since he hasn't played much since his arrival.

Alex Kral, a former West Ham loanee, will play in the middle of the field alongside academy product Pol Lozano. Javi Puado will lead Gonzalez's attack and aim to score his fourth La Liga goal of the season, returning from a slight injury he sustained last weekend against Sevilla.

Our Predictions

Robert Lewandowski to score the first goal @ 3.00 on Sky247.ng.

Barcelona are now experiencing what has become an iconic purple patch after storming to a 4-0 away victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid last weekend. With a six-point lead atop La Liga, Sunday's hosts will be looking to put another marker down in Catalonia. Their record versus Espanyol is impeccable, and they had an exciting 4-2 victory in May 2023 when they faced off against their local rivals. It is expected that Barça will easily qualify as a title contender this weekend, given that the Parakeets have lost five of their last six La Liga encounters.

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