Los Azulgranas are looking to extend their winning streak on home soil, with the visitors eager to build on their solid outing at Real Betis.
FC Barcelona will host the second ELDERBI DE BARCELONA of the season, as RCD Espanyol are set to visit the Spotify Camp Nou for a highly-anticipated clash on Saturday. Los Azulgranas are heading into the match on the back of 18 wins in their last 20 league games, including a major 2-1 comeback victory over Atlético de Madrid last weekend. Giuliano Simeone beat Joan García to open the scoring in the 39th minute, but it took Marcus Rashford only three minutes to net a timely equaliser. Nico González was sent off just before the break and the guests made the most of their numerical advantage by turning the game around through second-half substitute Robert Lewandowski in the closing stages. Meanwhile, Marko Dmitrović pulled off some great saves to keep RCD Espanyol’s first clean sheet in three months, as Los Pericos secured a goalless draw away at Real Betis last Saturday. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
FC Barcelona’s domination in the derbies
Barça’s win at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, combined with RCD Mallorca’s 2-1 home victory over second-placed Real Madrid, allowed Hansi Flick’s side to stretch their lead at the top of the LALIGA EA SPORTS table to seven points with only nine games to go. Hence, a victory in the upcoming derby would see FC Barcelona take another step towards defending their league title and history is in their favour.
Los Azulgranas haven’t lost any of their past 29 league games against RCD Espanyol, who were defeated in each of their last four meetings with their upcoming rivals. Los Pericos have won just nine of their 89 games away at FC Barcelona, who haven’t lost a derby at home since 2009. Taking into account that Flick’s side are the only team across Europe’s top five leagues to not have dropped a single point at home by winning all 15 of their league duels, the visitors are facing a challenging task against one of the most in-form teams in the continent.
Their first duel this season took place back in early January at the RCDE Stadium, where Joan García produced some extraordinary stops and two late goals from Dani Olmo and Lewandowski helped FC Barcelona secure all three points on the road.
Aiming to bounce back from adversity
A solid start to the season that saw RCD Espanyol figure in the European spots was followed by a run of 12 games without a win heading into March’s international break. Throughout that below-par stretch, theydidn’t manage to record a single clean sheet. In fact, the last game in which they hadn’t conceded a goal dated back in mid-December. Yet, Manolo González’s side managed to regroup during the break and bounced back with a solid performance away at Real Betis.
They may have not managed to get back to winning ways, but RCD Espanyol showed signs of a team willing to fight until the end in pursuit of a finish that would clinch them a European qualification for the first time since 2019/20. After the game, González stressed that it was important for RCD Espanyol “to regain defensive confidence”, a virtue that could prove crucial at the Spotify Camp Nou.
With FC Barcelona pushing for a second straight league trophy and Los Pericos still in the race for a European spot, no team would take more satisfaction in denying them their respective goals. It remains to be seen if the hosts will manage to stretch their winning streak at home or whether the visitors will build on the momentum they have gained following the draw away at Real Betis.
