Espanyol v. Barcelona preview
Barcelona fans and players – while probably not coach Hansi Flick, who said he could fail – will gather tonight to watch Real Madrid touch the real Mallorca.
Any form of Carlo Ancelotti’s man will be awarded the title before he briefly heads to city rival Espanyol tomorrow.
Assuming Madrid wins, then the win at Estadi RCDE’s Bluagrana is enough to regain their lost title last season and complete the domestic league and cup doubles.
Their Champions League exit last week will disappoint their UEFA Champions League exit.
Flick is usually a coach who is willing to talk to the media, but his press conference this morning lacks details and clues about how he will build his side tomorrow night.
However, he did say that Barcelona fully respects an Espino side, which seems to avoid the relegation zone and only three consecutive defeats can drag them back into the mud.
Manolo Gonzalez is five-fifths away from the drop zone, with three games left, and on the last day they see them hosting the fighter Las Palmas on the last day.
Flick said: “Espanyol made a big improvement in the second half [of the season]with new players and clear style. We have to focus and show that we want to win. ”
If Barcelona can repeat the performance from the weekend win of Krasico, they should be fine.
They trailed 2-0 in 15 minutes but roared back 4-3 and were pole in the championship game. Wild celebrations were held at the final whistle, but Flick hinted that if they win the championship tomorrow, that might not be repeated.
He said: “I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about or think about the celebration before the game. You have to focus on the game.
“Things are respectful. We have to fight for these three points and then we will do the right thing.”
Gonzalez believes his players will have a good fight and he hopes they can replicate their home win against Madrid in February.
“We care about winning for ourselves,” he said. “Even if we don’t win, we want to play a great game again like we do against Villarreal and Betis.
“We are able to beat Real Madrid at the best moment of their season and we will have that intention. If we compete as much as possible, we will make it difficult for any team that comes here.”
🎙️HansiFlick: “For us, the most important thing is to focus on our game tomorrow.” #Espanyolbarça pic.twitter.com/rpcmdgzbdc
– Football Club Barcelona (@fcbarcelona) May 14, 2025
Espanyol v Barcelona’s team news
Barcelona will have to find a replacement for the suspended Inigo Martinez.
Andreas Christensen or Ronald Araujo will represent Uruguay, hoping to get a nod and achieve a good performance after receiving a lot of criticism in the San Siro show.
Robert Lewandowski may have to live on the bench again.
Espanyol will hope midfielder Pol Lozano can be used after missing the weekend of Leganes.
Espanyol v Barcelona’s predicted lineup
Espanyol: Garcia; Carreras, Calero, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Exposito, Gonzalez, Kral, Puado; Fernandez
Barcelona: Szczesny; Garcia, Cubas, Araujo, Martin; de Jong, Pedri, Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres
How to watch Espanyol V Barcelona: TV and online streaming
Espanyol vs Barcelona starts tomorrow night at 8.30 pm UK time. It can be watched on Premier Sports 1 and streamed through the Liga app.
🔜 #Espanyolbarça pic.twitter.com/qtsl7p2t1c
– RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@rcdespanyol) May 13, 2025
Statistics from Espanyol v. Barcelona
- Espanyol has not won any matches in the first 10 meetings with Barcelona
- In Barcelona’s last 5 games, there were 3 or more goals in each game
- Barcelona admits the first goal of the game in the last 4 games
Espanyol v Barcelona’s prediction
Given that Barcelona’s motivation level will depend on whether they have already won the title at the start of the game, it’s hard to predict.
But, assuming Madrid do what they have to do tonight, Barcelona will be completely tilted, which should be too much for Espanyol.
Prediction: Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona
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