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Lamine Yamal is Barcelona's hope. Photo: Reuters . |
Barcelona entered the match as the top team in La Liga. Hansi Flick's side had 46 points after 18 rounds, 4 points more than their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who had shown signs of slowing down towards the end of the year.
"Blaugrana's" recent form has been impressive, with seven consecutive wins in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory against Villarreal in their final match of 2025. In La Liga alone, Barca have won eight consecutive league games, demonstrating their stability and the character of a title contender.
As for Espanyol, the home team is having a season far exceeding expectations. After finishing only 14th last season, coach Manolo Gonzalez's team has undergone a strong transformation in the 2025/26 season.
After 17 rounds, Espanyol have secured 10 wins, 3 draws, and suffered only 4 defeats, placing them 5th in the league table, just 2 points behind Atletico Madrid and 5 points ahead of Real Betis. This is a very encouraging achievement considering Espanyol haven't finished in the top 7 of La Liga since the 2004/05 season.
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Barcelona has a formidable attack. Photo: Reuters . |
Notably, Espanyol is currently in incredibly impressive form with a streak of 5 consecutive wins in La Liga against Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, Getafe, and Athletic Bilbao. At their home ground, RCDE Stadium, they also play very solidly with a record of 6 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses in 9 matches, making them a difficult opponent for any team.
However, the head-to-head history does not favor Espanyol. The white-and-blue team has not been able to beat Barcelona at home in La Liga since January 2007. Espanyol's last victory against Barca in the top Spanish league was back in February 2009, when they won 2-1 at Camp Nou.
Barcelona are aiming for their fourth consecutive victory against Espanyol, despite a draw at the RCDE Stadium in February 2022. Although they boast the strongest attack in the league with 51 goals, Barca are still causing concern for coach Flick as they have conceded 20 goals, the most among the top seven teams.
Following this derby, Barcelona will quickly shift their focus to the Spanish Super Cup, where they will travel to Saudi Arabia to face Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals.
Force:
Espanyol: Charles Pickel and Ramon Terrats are absent due to injury.
Barcelona : Andreas Christensen, Dani Olmo, and Gavi are absent due to injury.
Source: https://znews.vn/truc-iep-espanyol-vs-barcelona-post1616150.html
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