Espanyol vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-05-13 19:00.
If starting this La Liga (LL) round three points adrift of safety isn’t a motivator, Espanyol can look at their ignominy of rivals Barcelona being ahead by 51 points, the biggest gap in a Derbi BarcelonĂ in the 21st century, as a trigger. A win would not just boost their survival hopes but also propel coach Luis GarcĂa Fernández into a select group of five coaches to win their first Catalan derby in charge of the White and Blue.
A win would also see them remain unbeaten in two seasonal H2Hs for the first time since 2007/08 after a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture. That will need Espanyol to conquer their historic blues, as they’ve gone winless across 25 top-flight derbies (D7, L18) which is their worst such record against any opponent.
Barcelona could be crowned champions even before kick-off if both Real and Atlético Madrid fail to win their respective games. If that does not occur, Barça will confirm their first league title since 2018/19 if they win this derby. There could be a familiar feeling if they do so with a single goal, as their 1-0 win over Osasuna last Tuesday was their 11th victory by that scoreline this season, equalling the record for a full top-flight campaign.
Those results played their part in Barcelona collecting a 25th LL clean sheet, the joint-most for any team in the top-five European leagues this century. A chance to push their derby neighbours closer to the drop could be extra motivation to produce another defensive masterclass, although Barça have kept just one clean sheet across their last four league trips to this venue.
Players to watch: Sergi Darder has happy memories of this fixture last season, having scored and assisted for Espanyol in a 2-2 draw. A contribution from Ousmane Dembélé could extend Barcelona’s clean sheet streak as his two H2H contributions (G1, A1) have come in wins with clean sheets.
Hot stat: There’s been at least one red card shown in four of the last five H2Hs.