Espanyol vs Barcelona

RCDE Stadium forms the backdrop for a lopsided Derbi Barceloní as relegation-threatened Espanyol entertain runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Espanyol can find motivation in their current three-point deficit from safety as they enter this La Liga (LL) round. Additionally, they can draw inspiration from the significant 51-point gap between them and their rivals Barcelona, marking the largest disparity in a 21st-century Derbi Barceloní. That should serve as a catalyst for Espanyol’s determination to perform better after suffering eight defeats in their last ten La Liga outings (W1, D1), including a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at Sevilla in the previous round. However, ‘Los Periquitos’ have massively underperformed against their cross-town rivals this century, going unbeaten in their last 25 encounters against Barcelona in La Liga (D7, L18). If it’s any comfort, Luis Garcia’s side eked out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at Camp Nou.

That’s unlikely to change to the fact Barcelona are undefeated in their last 14 La Liga visits to Espanyol (W7, D7) since a 3-1 loss in 2007. But the visitors have gone winless in back-to-back away league matches in the lead-up to this trip (D1, L1) and could make it three on the trot in the competition for the first time under Xavi Hernandez. A lack of goals has been a massive issue for the ‘Blaugrana’ on their travels, as they’ve failed to score more than once in five of their last six away league games. But one goal may be enough to fire them to another win, considering 11 of their 26 top-flight victories this season have yielded an identical 1-0 scoreline, equalling an outright La Liga record for most such triumphs in a single campaign.