Barcelona vs Espanyol

Match info: La Liga

Venue: Estadio Olimpico Lluis Companys, Catalonia.

Date: Sunday, 3^rd November 2024

Time: 4:15 pm Nigerian time

Barcelona will have the chance to open up a nine-point lead at the top of the La Liga table when they welcome Catalan rivals Espanyol to their temporary home of Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday afternoon.

Hansi Flick's side thumped Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico last weekend to move six points clear at the summit, while Espanyol, who are 17th in the division, will enter the Barcelona derby off the back of a 4-0 win over San Tirso in the Copa del Rey.

Head-to-head:

• Barcelona have won 31 of the last 53 meetings between the two teams.
• Espanyol has recorded 17 victories.
• The remaining 5 clashes ended in draws.
• 3 of their last 6 encounters ended in a draw.

Form:

• Barcelona in the league: W-L-W-W-W
• Barcelona in all competitions: W-W-W-W-W
• Espanyol in the League: L-L-W-L-L
• Espanyol in all competitions: L-W-L-L-W

Team News:

• For Barcelona, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres, Marc Bernal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Ronald Araujo will miss the game with injuries.
• For Espanyol, Edu Exposito, Fernando Calero, José Gragera, and Pol Lozano will miss the game with injuries. Naci Ünüvar is doubtful with physical discomfort.

Player(s) to watch:

• Robert Lewandowski is the player to watch for Barcelona. The Polish striker has been in phenomenal form, scoring 17 goals and providing 2 assists in just 14 games. Renowned for his exceptional goal-scoring ability, Lewandowski is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time.

• Jofre Carreras is the player to watch out for Espanyol in this game. He has scored two goals and provided three assists in 11 games. His performance data indicates flexibility to play as a left winger and even in attacking midfield roles. This shows his adaptability across different positions on the offensive line.