- Barcelona are the form favourites to win this matchup (W3, D1, L1).
- Espanyol are winless in three and have won just one of their last five La Liga matches (W1, D1, L3).
- Barcelona have won two of the last three head-to-head meetings and claimed a 3-1 victory at home in this fixture six months ago.
Barcelona are the clear favorites at -222 for Thursday’s La Liga clash against Espanyol, who are listed at +625 to win at home. Barca are the form favorites to win the game, but the hosts are a big price considering their recent record against their city rivals. This fixture is usually a good one for Espanyol, but Barcelona have won two of the last three derbies and are in great form under Hans-Dieter Flick.
Flick’s appointment in May 2024 has brought a fresh dimension to Barca’s play with the team pressing more intensely and creating more chances. They thrashed Real Madrid 4-3 at home in their last La Liga outing, bouncing back from a dramatic 4-3 extra-time defeat to Inter in Milan. Barcelona have scored 45 goals in 17 away La Liga games in 2024-2025, an average of 2.65 per game, and have found the net 12 times in their last five. Raphinha has been the most reliable goal-getter for Barca with four in his last five games, but Robert Lewandowski is the talisman with 25 in 31 league games this term.
Espanyol have a decent home record in La Liga 2024-2025 with seven wins, six draws and only four losses from 17 games at the RCDE Stadium. They have only conceded 18 goals in 17 home games in 2024-2025, an average of 1.06 per game, but recently suffered a home defeat to Real Betis (1-2). Javier Puado is Espanyol’s talisman with 11 goals in 32 La Liga appearances and will be the hosts’ main threat on Thursday. Manolo Gonzalez took over at Espanyol in March 2024, during a turbulent time for the club, and has seen his side slide down the table to 14th place with 39 points from 35 games. Barca are the clear leaders with 82 points from the same number of games and will be desperate to prove their superiority in the Derbi Barceloní. We’re backing Barca to win and there to be over 2.5 goals in the game as the visitors have been prolific in front of goal. Espanyol will sit deep and try to get numbers behind the ball, but Barca will dominate possession and dictate the pace, which could lead to a classic derby with Espanyol hitting on the break.
