Does FCB’s derby series last?
The “Derbi barceloní” between Espanyol and FC Barcelona will take place on Sunday evening. It took place for the first time 92 years ago and ended with a 1-0 FCB win. The same result was also seen in the last encounter, when the 26-time Spanish champions won 1:0.
The overall statistics for the 173 comparisons in league play so far also speak clearly against Espanyol: Only 34 wins and 38 draws compare to 101 successes for the city rivals! For the next edition of Espanyol against Barcelona, the forecast also includes an away win.
Espanyol Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Espanyol currently have to do without their top striker Raul de Tomas. As the top scorer in La Liga 2 last season, the Spaniard was instrumental in the Blue and Whites’ rise to the Iberian top flight and has already been very efficient again this season.
De Tomas has scored a dozen goals in his 21 appearances for the two-time UEFA Cup finalists. Add to that his two assists and you can see that the attacker has been involved in more than half of the home side’s 27 goals so far.
Did the visitors prevail without conceding a goal?
Due to his absence, bets on a win for the visitors, including a clean sheet, are therefore also interesting for the match between Espanyol Barcelona and Barcelona. In addition, predictions on a maximum of two goals in the course of the match are offered.
Without the offensive player, the last match at Athletic Bilbao ended with a 1:2 defeat. However, the match went well, at least for the winter newcomer Tonny Vilhena. The Dutchman, who was signed from Krasnodar in Russia, scored his first goal on his debut for the “Periquitos”.
The defeat, on the other hand, means that the four-time Copa del Rey winners have now had to wait four league games for their next win, and only one of those games did not end in defeat.
On top of that, they lost the Copa del Rey match against their league rivals from Mallorca. Due to the crisis in form, the promoted team has now slipped to 13th place.
Espanyol can’t convince at home either
The previous home strength of coach Vicente Moreno’s team has also diminished recently: This can be seen in the fact that two of the only three home defeats in the eleven games played at home have been conceded in a row.
After beating heavyweights such as Real Madrid, who were top of the table, the performances on home soil have been equally weaker.
Projected line-up of Espanyol Barcelona:
Lopez – Cabrera – Gomez – Gil – Pedrosa – Darder – Morlanes – Melendo – Puado – Vilhena – Dimata
Last matches played by Espanyol Barcelona:
LaLiga
02/07 2022 – Athletic Bilbao 2 – 1 Espanyol
01/21 2022 – Espanyol 1 – 4 Real Betis
01/18 2022 – Cadiz 2 – 2 Espanyol
Copa del Rey
01/15 2022 – Mallorca 2 – 1 Espanyol
LaLiga
01/10 2022 – Espanyol 1 – 2 Elche
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
The FCB signed an old acquaintance in Barcelona during the season with Dani Alves. The Brazilian had already played in defence for the Blaugrana between 2008 and 2016.
However, the full-back only made two league appearances and his most recent came in the 4-2 win over Atletico, where he scored a goal and made an assist, but his last for the time being as he was subsequently shown a red card for a foul.
Thanks to the win, however, the champions were overtaken in the standings by the Camp Nou kickers to claim fourth place.
Aubameyang recently made his debut
The match against the Colchoneros also saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang make his Barcelona debut. The Gabonese was recently signed on a free transfer from Arsenal. His debut, however, was short-lived with around 20 minutes of playing time.
Memphis Depay, the visitors’ best striker so far, is currently unable to play. The Dutchman has a 50% goal rate after 16 league games and has apparently settled in well in Catalonia after his move from Lyon to Barcelona before the season.
Barcelona have improved away from home
The FCB has also overcome its away weakness from the beginning of the season: After failing to win any of their first five away matches and three of those games ending in defeats, their away record has clearly improved. Three victories and three draws each have been achieved on the footballing business trips.
The visitors can also take heart from the statistics for the derby in the recent past: Thanks to the aforementioned 1-0 victory over Espanyol in the last Catalan city duel, the FCB has now remained unbeaten in seven direct duels (5-2-0). In league play, this streak even stretches back to 2009 and thus over 23 games (18-5-0)!
Predicted line-up of Barcelona:
ter Stegen – Alba – Pique – Arauio – de Jong – Dest – Busquets – Pedri – Traore – Torres – Gavi
Last matches played by Barcelona:
LaLiga
02/06 2022 – Barcelona 4 – 2 Atletico Madrid
01/23 2022 – Deportivo Alaves 0 – 1 Barcelona
Copa del Rey
01/20 2022 – Athletic Bilbao 3 – 2 Barcelona
Super Cup
01/12 2022 – Barcelona 2 – 3 Real Madrid
LaLiga
01/08 2022 – Granada 1 – 1 Barcelona
Espanyol Barcelona – Barcelona Tip
Last year’s visiting third-placed team has stabilised with four recent wins, including against the Madrid champions, and three draws to move up to fourth. However, Depay and Fati, two important attacking players, are out with injuries.
For the “Derbi Barcelonés” between Espanyol and FC Barcelona, the tip is still for an away win. The squad of coach Xavi, who is the record holder for the most city derbies played with 36 appearances for FCB, has recently been strengthened with the signing of Aubameyang.
The Gabonese is now likely to be in Barça’s starting eleven for the first time in the city duel. The prediction is also supported by the fact that the “Blanquiazules” are in a crisis of form with four games without a win and have to do without their clear best offensive player in Raul de Tomas.
Betway offers odds of 1.78 on the Catalan clash between Espanyol and Barcelona.
It is also highly recommended to have a look at the article of the betting base about the sporting highlight this weekend in the USA.
