Barcelona face Espanyol in Derbi Barceloní.

2024-10-28

After a commanding El Clásico victory, Barcelona look to extend their dominance in the Derbi Barceloní against an Espanyol side eager to break a long-standing winless streak in La Liga's fiercest city rivalry.

FC Barcelona

A 4-0 win over archrivals Real Madrid in Saturday’s El Clásico saw Barcelona open a six-point gap at the top of the table. That victory marked Barcelona's third consecutive win, accumulating 30 points with a record of 10 wins, 0 draws, and 1 loss.

Hansi Flick’s side faces Espanyol next, aiming to extend their winning streak to four matches and move nine points ahead of second-placed Madrid. Notably, Real Madrid will not participate in La Liga action against Valencia this weekend due to the aftermath of deadly floods.

Barcelona boasts an impressive record against Espanyol, having remained unbeaten in their last 13 home encounters in La Liga with 12 wins and 1 draw. They’ve emerged victorious in 102 of their 176 La Liga clashes against Espanyol, marking this as the second-most wins by a team against a single top-flight opponent.

The expected formation is a 4—3—3, featuring Lamine Yamal, the recent Kopa Trophy winner, alongside October Player of the Month Robert Lewandowski in attack. Raphinha, currently in excellent form, is likely to join them in the forward line.

Espanyol

Espanyol will head into Sunday’s derby with plenty of confidence following a commanding 4-0 victory over San Tirso in the Copa del Rey on Thursday. However, their La Liga form tells a different story, as they currently sit in a lowly 17th place after suffering back-to-back defeats, including a 2-0 loss to Sevilla last weekend.

Coach Manolo González acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, "We have to improve because mistakes are condemning us," after last Friday’s defeat. A victory over Barcelona this weekend could prove crucial, potentially nudging Espanyol, who are just a point above the relegation zone, a few places up the table.

Espanyol face a daunting challenge, being winless in 26 straight La Liga derbies against Barcelona—a record which stands as their worst winless run against any opponent in their top-flight history. Despite this, they aim to field a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Javi Puado and Alejo Véliz leading the attack, the latter having scored a hat-trick against San Tirso.