Espanyol vs Barcelona

Following their triumph over Real Madrid in El Clasico, La Liga frontrunners Barcelona are gearing up to take on city rivals Espanyol in Thursday’s showdown at the RCDE Stadium.

Should Real Madrid stumble against Mallorca on Wednesday, the Blaugrana could clinch the championship title before the match, though they’ll still have a shot at securing the crown against Espanyol even if Los Blancos secure a victory.

Espanyol currently hold 14th place in the league table, having secured 10 wins, 9 draws, and 16 losses from their 35 La Liga fixtures this season.

Los Periquitos head into Thursday’s derby on a rough patch, managing just one point from their past four games since their 1-0 win over Getafe on April 18.

They settled for a 1-1 draw against Valencia before suffering three straight defeats to Villarreal, Real Betis, and Leganes.

Under Manolo Gonzalez, Espanyol mounted a late comeback from a three-goal deficit in Saturday’s away match against Leganes, but strikes from Leandro Cabrera and Pere Milla came too late, resulting in a 3-2 loss.

Despite their recent struggles, Espanyol remain well-positioned to steer clear of relegation, holding a five-point buffer above the drop zone with three matches remaining against Barcelona, Osasuna, and Las Palmas.

After a disappointing outing at Butarque, Los Periquitos are eager to return to the RCDE Stadium, where they’ve lost only once in their last 11 home league games (W4, D6), though that lone defeat came in their latest home match against Betis.

Espanyol will aim to leverage their home-field advantage to claim their first La Liga win over Barcelona since their 2-1 victory on the road in February 2009.

Barcelona are poised to seize the league title after rebounding from a thrilling Champions League semi-final loss to Inter Milan with a dramatic 4-3 win over fierce rivals Real Madrid on Sunday at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

The Blaugrana overcame an early two-goal deficit sparked by Kylian Mbappe’s quick brace, with Eric Garcia and Lamine Yamal leveling the score before Raphinha netted twice to hand Barcelona a remarkable 4-2 lead at halftime.

Mbappe completed his hat-trick in the second half, narrowing the gap to just one goal. However, Fermin Lopez’s disallowed strike after a VAR check meant Barcelona had to settle for a 4-3 result, leaving them just one step away from securing the league title to add to their Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup triumphs in Hansi Flick’s debut season.

With a seven-point lead at the top, Barcelona could seal their 28th La Liga title on Wednesday if Real Madrid stumble against Mallorca. However, if Madrid wins, the Catalan giants will need to defeat Espanyol in Matchday 36 to claim the trophy.

While lifting the title remains the priority, Barcelona also have another milestone in sight—reaching 100 La Liga goals this season. They’ve already netted 95 times in 35 league matches.

Their form suggests they’ll have no trouble securing another win on Thursday, having triumphed in 14 of their last 15 league games and all of their previous five away fixtures.

Barcelona’s dominance over Espanyol in recent derbies is another reason for confidence—they’re unbeaten in their last 27 La Liga meetings (20 wins, 7 draws), including a 3-1 victory in November’s reverse fixture, where Dani Olmo’s double and Raphinha’s early strike sealed the win within the first 31 minutes.