Espanyol vs. Barcelona: La Liga Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Following their El Clasico victory over Real Madrid, Barcelona, who now lead La Liga, will travel to the RCDE Stadium on Thursday to take on local rivals Espanyol.

If Real Madrid loses against Mallorca on Wednesday, the Blaugrana will come into this match as champions. Even if Real Madrid wins, the Blaugrana can still win the championship against Espanyol.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Espanyol sit 14th in La Liga with 10 wins, nine draws, and 16 losses from 35 matches. They're on a poor run, taking just one point from their last four games since a 1-0 win over Getafe in April. Most recently, they fell 3-2 to Leganes after a late fightback.

Despite their form, Espanyol remain five points above the relegation zone with three games left against Barcelona, Osasuna, and Las Palmas. They've been steady at home lately, with four wins and six draws in their last 11 league outings at RCDE Stadium.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are closing in on the La Liga title. After a thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid — with goals from Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal, and a Raphinha brace — Hansi Flick's side hold a seven-point lead at the top. If Real Madrid drop points against Mallorca, Barça could seal the title early; otherwise, a win over Espanyol would clinch it.

Barcelona have scored 95 league goals this season and are aiming for 100. They have 14 wins from their last 15 La Liga games and five straight-away victories. They've also dominated recent derbies, unbeaten in their previous 27 against Espanyol, including a 3-1 win in November.

Espanyol x Barcelona Team News

Espanyol defender Brian Olivan is still out for the season with a calf injury that has kept him out of action since the end of March.

Pol Lozano is back in training and might play for Leganes after missing the team's tight defeat. He could start against Barcelona.

Immediately following  Following his one-match suspension for accumulation of yellow cards, Omar El Hilali is set to be recalled.

With eleven goals and three assists in thirty-two La Liga games this season, Javi Puado will remain one of Espanyol's primary offensive threats.

As Marc Bernal recovers from a long-term knee injury, Barcelona will continue without his services.

Pablo Torre, a striker, and Jules Kounde, a defender, are both still nursing injuries that will keep them out of action.

Ronald Araujo or Andreas Christensen might start in Inigo Martinez's stead due to the latter's impressive performance as a substitute in El Clasico. At the same time, the former could also begin to because Inigo Martinez accumulated yellow cards.

Alejandro Balde is vying for a starting spot after coming off the bench to play for nearly half an hour against Real Madrid. However, Robert Lewandowski's recent troubles with a hamstring ailment make it doubtful that Barcelona would risk starting him.

Our predictions

Barcelona to win & Over 2.5 goals @ 1.60 on Skky247.ng

We expect the self-assured visitors to show their mettle again to earn a resounding triumph in Thursday's derby matchup, as Barcelona have historically done well when facing their local rivals. The Catalan club has won fourteen of their past fifteen league meetings.

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