Espanyol vs Barcelona Predictions

Both of these clubs are looking in good touch and will come up with a close contest. Barcelona are likely to come out on top and secure a win against Espanyol in their upcoming La Liga clash.

Match info: La Liga

Venue: RCDE Stadium, Catalonia

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Time: 9 pm Nigerian time

The latest instalment of the Catalan derby will take place at RCDE Stadium on Saturday evening, with Espanyol welcoming Barcelona in Spain's top flight.

Barcelona are top of the La Liga table, four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, while their hosts are fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

Head-to-head:

• Espanyol have won 44 of the last 218 meetings between the two teams.
• Barcelona recorded 128 victories.
• The remaining 46 clashes ended in draws.
• Espanyol have won four of their last five matches.
• Barcelona have won all of their last five games.
• The Blaugrana are unbeaten in 13 meetings with Los Periquitos.
• Barcelona have won three of their last five visits to Espanyol.
• Five of their last 10 encounters produced at least four goals.

Form:

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

Team News:

• Espanyol will miss out on the services of Ramon Terrats due to his injury, and Charles Pickel is on national team duty for AFCON 2025 games.
• Dani Olmo, Gavi and Andreas Christensen are not going to be in action for Barcelona. They are injured.

Player(s) to watch:

• Pere Milla is going to be one of the main men in the squad for RCD Espanyol. In 15 league matches this season, he has scored six goals and will be keen to add more to his tally. The 33-year-old can control the midfield well and is also a crucial player in the attacking front.
• Raphinha was one of the goal scorers in the previous league game for Barcelona. The 29-year-old continues to perform well for Barca in the attacking front and is going to be a crucial part yet again. Raphinha is going to be a constant threat to the opponent’s defence. He has 10 goal involvements in 11 LaLiga appearances this season.