Barcelona hosts city rivals Espanyol at Camp Nou, for round 35 of La Liga. The Blaugrana are 4 points behind Real Madrid and, with 4 games left to play, there’s no room for errors. As for Espanyol, it’s just a matter of time until relegation becomes official.
Check a complete match preview and betting prediction for the Derby of Catalunya.
Barcelona are on a 8-game unbeaten run
8 games without being defeated, with 7 of them played after the return of La Liga. However, Barcelona lost the leadership of La Liga to Real Madrid and there’s no margin for errors in the final 4 games of the competition. Especially in a derby against a team that is living one of the toughest times in their history.
Barcelona comes from a great victory last round. To win comfortably at Villarreal isn’t easy and Barcelona did it in good fashion. Also, Griezmann scored an amazing goal and proved he’s still able to produce great things with the Blaugrana.
With 15 wins and 2 draws in 17 La Liga matches at Camp Nou, Barcelona have been cruising in their home turf. The team is averaging near 3 goals per game at Camp Nou while adding great defensive performances. With just 14 goals conceded, Barcelona kept clean sheets in 41% of their home games.
For tonight’s match, Quique Setien will not have Dembele, Junior Firpo, Umtiti and Frenkie De Jong available, due to injury.
Barcelona lineup prediction
Ter Stegen, Nelson Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Arturo Vidal, Messi, Griezmann, Suárez.
A certain fate for Espanyol
Relegation is on the horizon for Espanyol and seems impossible to turn it around. With 4 games left to play in La Liga, the team in on the bottom of the table, 11 points behind the first team outside the relegation zone.
The last round against Leganes was another sign pointing Espanyol to relegation. The team suffered a 1-0 loss at home against an opponent that sits 19th in the standings, reducing even more their chances of salvation.
Espanyol is on a 5-game losing streak, and it’s very unlikely the outcome would be different tonight. The team lost 10 of the 17 away games for the Spanish League.
Espanyol lineup prediction
Diego Lopez, Javi Lopez, Bernardo, Cabrera, Didac, David Lopez, Marc Roca, Oscar Melendo, Darder, Embarba, De Tomás.
Betting prediction
We expect Barcelona in complete control of the match, as the Blaugrana need a win to keep the pressure to Real Madrid. Check Barcelona to win and keep a clean sheet.
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