Espanyol vs Barcelona, La Liga: Five Reasons Not To Miss The Barcelona Derby

While the Barcelona Derby is always worth tuning in to, this Sunday’s clash between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona is especially interesting for several reasons.

This could be the weekend when Xavi Hernandez’s side are mathematically proclaimed 2022/23 La Liga Santander champions, while it is also one of the last chances for Luis Garcia’s outfit to escape the relegation zone before the season’s end.

With stars like Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Joselu, Robert Lewandowski and Sergi Darder all involved, spectacle and excitement are guaranteed in the Barcelona Derby. And here is five reasons to not miss it.

1. FC Barcelona could be crowned champions: After 33 rounds in which they have consistently picked up points, FC Barcelona enter Matchday 34 of the La Liga Santander season so close to securing the prize they’ve been working towards.

Los Azulgranas could mathematically be crowned champions at the RCDE Stadium in this rivalry game that is always circled in red at the start of the season.

Boasting a 13-point lead over Atlético de Madrid and a 14-point gap to Real Madrid, it would be enough for them to finish the round with 12 points more than Los Rojiblancos and 13 more than Los Blancos.

2. RCD Espanyol at the heart of the relegation battle: At the other end of the table, RCD Espanyol start Matchday 34 of this La Liga Santander campaign in second-to-last position and three points from safety.

With only 12 points still up for grabs after this weekend’s match, Luis García’s side need to make the most of all of their remaining opportunities to add to their points tally.

After the match against FC Barcelona, Los Blanquiazules will only have four more fixtures, against Rayo Vallecano (away), Atletico de Madrid (home), Valencia CF (away) and UD Almeria (home).

3. The race for the Pichichi: While the destination of the LaLiga Santander trophy looks quite clear with five games to go, the prize for the top scorer is much tighter. Robert Lewandowski, who leads the way with 19 goals, is closely followed by Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema with 17 goals.

Meanwhile, Getafe CF’s Enes Unal and RCD Espanyol’s Joselu, who will face off against FC Barcelona’s Polish striker this matchday, are also in the hunt with 14 goals each. This is a prestigious award and it seems there will still be a fight until the end of the season.

4. The search for a first derby victory in Cornella: The RCDE Stadium has yet to celebrate a home derby victory over FC Barcelona in league play.

Los Blanquiazules’ last one came in the 2006/07 season, when they were still playing at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, which will be FC Barcelona’s home from next season due to work on their stadium.

In that match, the team then coached by Ernesto Valverde defeated Frank Rijkaard’s side 3-1 with goals from Raúl Tamudo, Francisco Rufete and Luis García, now the RCD Espanyol coach.

5. Ter Stegen is chasing a goals conceded record: FC Barcelona’s German goalkeeper has had a historic season. With just 11 goals conceded in 33 games, he is on course to beat the all-time record for a goalkeeper in La Liga Santander, an achievement shared by Jan Oblak of Atletico de Madrid in 2015/16 and Paco Liano of Deportivo de la Coruna in 1993/94.

Both conceded 18 goals in 38 games those years, an average of 0.47 goals per game that Ter Stegen is threatening to smash. At the moment his average is 0.33 goals conceded per game and he has five matches to go as he aims to beat that figure.

Barcelona Derby: Espanyol vs FC Barcelona Telecast and Live Streaming in India Info

Espanyol vs Barcelona La Liga match will be shown live on Viacom18’s Sports 18-1 channels as well as stream live via VootSelect and JioCinema on Monday (May 15) from 12:30 AM IST in India.

Source: MSL Media