Espanyol vs Barcelona Prediction & Betting Tips- Odds, H2H and Preview Predictions

Espanyol vs Barcelona Prediction

Espanyol will go head to head with Barcelona in a big derby clash in the LaLiga. The two local rivals will play on Thursday 15th May, kicking off at 20:30BST. Espanyol are the hosts, playing at their RCDE stadium. For UK viewers, you can watch the game live on Premier Sports 1 and La Liga TV UK, as well as ITVX and ITV4. Barcelona can secure their league title if they are able to beat their local rivals, which would be a spectacular way to do it.

Key Stats

Espanyol have scored five goals in their last five matches.

They have also lost their last three matches.

Barcelona have scored fifteen goals in their last five matches.

Lamine Yamal has created the most big chances in the league, with 28.

Espanyol vs Barcelona Team Previews, Form and Standout Players

Espanyol Preview

Espanyol gained promotion back to the Spanish top flight this year, and they have managed to place themselves just outside of the relegation zone, but they could still face the drop come end of season.

They sit in sixteenth place with thirty-nine points, with a five point gap to the bottom three with three games. Goals have been hard to come by all season, with Javier Puado scoring the most with eleven goals. The Spanish side have lost their last three games in a row, and could face a fourth loss here against their local rivals.

Espanyol Predicted Lineup: Garcia; Romero, Cabrera, Kumbulla, Carreras; Puado, Gonzalez, Calero, Exposito; Kral, Fernandez.

Barcelona Preview

It is fair to say it couldn't have went any better for Barcelona in the league this year. They have managed to take dominance over Real Madrid, with a seven point gap to their title challengers. Despite their recent Champions League semi final exit to Inter Milan, Hansi Flick's side could put that behind them if they win and seal the title against their local rivals on Thursday night.

Lamine Yamal has created 28 big chances this season, picking up 12 assists, whilst Robert Lewandowski has scored 25 goals for the side, with Raphinha seven goals behind him with eighteen.

Barcelona Predicted Lineup: Szczesny; Balde, Martinez, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia; Pedri, De Jong; Raphinha, Olmo, Yamal; Lewandowski.

Head-to-Head Stats

As you can expect, Barcelona have been a tough side to beat, and Espanyol haven't been able to get the better of their local rivals since 2018. Barcelona won the earlier fixture this season, winning 3-1.

03/11/24- Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol

14/05/23-Espanyol 2-4 Barcelona

31/12/22-Barcelona 1-1 Espanyol

13/02/22- Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona

20/11/21-Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol

Betting Tips

Of course, the sensible bet here would be on a Barcelona win. Whilst Espanyol are the home side, they could be fired up for this local derby, along with wanting to avoid relegation spurring them on.

However, this game also means a lot for Barcelona, who will have the chance to win the title if they can get a win here. Therefore, Barcelona should win, which is a fairly believable prediction.

Final Prediction

Given how much this means for Barcelona, having the chance to win the title in your own local rivals' stadium should be enough to motivate them into winning this match.

That should be enough to get Barcelona the win, let alone their squad quality being so much better than Espanyol. Espanyol need a win so they can also guarantee their La Liga safety, although they look likely to survive regardless.

I think Barcelona will win 3-1.