Barcelona vs Espanyol predictions, H2H and match preview for this Wednesday’s game in LaLiga. Read on for analysis, free betting tips and predicted line-up ahead of what may be the final city derby between these two for some time.
by Mark Sochon (@marksoc1)
Barcelona vs Espanyol Preview
The Barcelona derby takes place this Wednesday and it’s a fixture that will see Espanyol’s relegation to the Segunda Division confirmed unless the visitors can pull off a highly unlikely upset and win the game. This is just about the nightmare scenario for Espanyol fans, who even after their fate started to look sealed, were eager to avoid a situation where they would be relegated at the home of their city rivals.
Barça fans will see it as revenge for 2007 when a brace from Raúl Tamudo earned Espanyol a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou to deny Barcelona the title. They are unlikely to be getting their hands on the league crown this term either but victory would see the Catalans move to within a point of Real Madrid again for a couple of days.
Quique Setien’s side come into this match on the back of what was arguably their most convincing display of the entire campaign as they hammered Villarreal 4-1 on Sunday with Antoine Griezmann, Leo Messi and Luis Suarez combining well in a rejigged 4-3-1-2 formation. That experiment is likely to continue here with Sergi Roberto hopeful of getting another run-out in midfield.
As for Espanyol, this desperate season cannot really end soon enough. A home defeat against fellow strugglers Leganes at the weekend saw it sink to new depths. Even as recently as their 2-0 victory over Alaves in their first game back following the restart, there was genuine belief that they could get out of trouble but five straight defeats and a third managerial switch of the season leaves them waiting for their great rivals to strike the final blows here and send them packing to the Segunda Division for the first time since the 1990’s.
We have LaLiga match previews for every game this week plus Segunda Division predictions.
Barcelona vs Espanyol Predictions
Score Prediction: 4-0 Barcelona
All the belief has gone for Espanyol now and you sense their players won’t exactly be looking forward to this game, particularly given how well Barcelona played on Sunday. As well as their own need for points, Barça’s players will relish the opportunity to send Espanyol down and the visitors aren’t anywhere near good enough defensively to stop Messi and co here. This should be Barcelona’s 16th home league win of the season, and it could be one of their biggest.
Barcelona vs Espanyol Betting Tips (18+)
For our Barcelona Derby tips, sign up to follow LaLigaExpert for free on Tipstrr. You will also be able to see a full history of our profit/loss figures as well as all our betting picks for this week.
Note that we don’t guarantee any long-term profits if you are following our tips. Please only bet what you can afford to lose. For more on responsible gambling, see BeGambleAware.
Barcelona vs Espanyol H2H
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 3 Barcelona Wins, 1 Espanyol Win, 2 Draws.
- Espanyol held Barcelona to a 2-2 draw at the RCDE Stadium earlier this term.
- Barcelona have won their last 4 home derbies against Espanyol by 2 or more goals.
- Espanyol’s last victory over their neighbours came in the 1st Leg of a Copa del Rey tie in January 2018.
Predicted Line Ups
Barcelona Team:
Ter Stegen – Alba, Lenglet, Pique, Semedo – Sergi Roberto, Busquets, Puig – Messi – Griezmann, Suarez (4-3-1-2)
Espanyol Team:
Lopez – Vila, Cabrera, Espinosa, Javi Lopez – David Lopez, Roca – Embarba, Darder, Melendo – Wu (4-2-3-1)
Read more: LaLiga Weekly Review – Matchday’s 33 & 34
Our Latest Spanish Football Match Previews
[recent_post_carousel category=”574″ show_content=”true” show_author=”false” show_date=”true” show_category_name=”false” limit=”4″]
