Hansi Flick’s red-hot Barcelona prepares to host RCD Espanyol for the first Catalan derby of the season.
Barcelona can open up a nine point gap atop La Liga following its dominant win against Real Madrid in last weekend El Clásico. Los Blancos won’t play this weekend because of the severe flooding that has tragically impacted different areas across Spain this past week.
Coming off fabulous performances against two top European sides, the Blaugranas have a chance to hand its Catalan rivals an eighth loss in La Liga that could see Los Periquitos fall to the relegation zone. Barcelona are undefeated against Espanyol in its last 26 league meetings, an ominous precedent for Los Periquitos that are currently 20 points back of the league leaders.
Given that on paper this seems like a much simpler fixture compared to the previous week’s opponents, Flick might be tempted to shuffle his starting XI and give players that recently returned from injury the chance to feature from the start.
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GK: Iñaki Peña—Peña was sublime keeping a clean sheet in El Clásico, looking like a goalkeeper worthy of Barcelona’s starting role with one of the best performances of his young career.
LB: Alejandro Baldé—Baldé continued his strong start to the season with a pinpoint assist in El Clásico. His speed and technique make him a very dangerous player going forward.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—Cubarsi plays with a maturity uncommon for a 17-year-old.
CB: Iñigo Martínez—The leader of Barça’s defense is the perfect man to lead Flick’s high-line system that saw Real Madrid players go offside over 10 times in El Clásico.
RB: Jules Koundé—The Frenchman neutralized Vinícius Júnior and Serge Gnabry in consecutive games.
CM: Frenkie de Jong—The Dutchman had a good cameo in El Clásico and could get his first start for Barcelona since April’s visit to the Santiago Bernabéu.
CM: Gavi—It might still be too soon, but a Gavi’s intensity and fearlessness are perfect for a derby like this. The former Kopa Trophy winner has featured as a substitute in Barça’s last three games.
LW: Raphinha—The Brazilian has 10 goal contributions in Barça’s last five games. He’s in the form of his life and been a key reason for Flick’s early success.
AM: Dani Olmo—Olmo’s impressive start to his Barcelona career was interrupted by an injury that sidelined him for over a month. After a couple of positive cameos, the Catalan derby could see the Euro 2024 winner return to the XI.
RW: Lamine Yamal—In a week that saw him become the youngest goalscorer in El Clásico history and the youngest ever Kopa Trophy winner, Yamal could add the cherry on top with his first ever Catalan derby goal.
ST: Robert Lewandowski—The Polish striker has been feasting as of late with 10 goals in Barça’s last five games.
