Prediction: Espanyol vs Barcelona

Verdict: Total away goals over 2.5

Best odds: 49/50

Bookmaker: Unibet

Following their El Clasico triumph over Real Madrid, La Liga leaders Barcelona now turn their attention to Thursday’s derby clash with Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium.

The Blaugrana will be crowned champions if Real Madrid fail to beat Mallorca on Wednesday, but even if Los Blancos claim all three points, Flick’s side will still have the opportunity to secure the title with a victory over their local rivals.

Espanyol

Espanyol currently occupy 14th place in the La Liga standings, having recorded 10 wins, nine draws and 16 defeats from their 35 matches this season.

Los Periquitos approach Thursday’s derby in poor form, collecting just one point from their last four outings since edging past Getafe 1-0 on April 18.

After a 1-1 draw with Valencia, they slipped to successive defeats against Villarreal, Real Betis, and Leganes.

Manolo Gonzalez’s side attempted to mount a comeback from three goals down in Saturday’s clash with Leganes, but late strikes from Leandro Cabrera and Pere Milla came too late to avoid a 3-2 loss.

Despite their recent struggles, Espanyol are still in a solid position to avoid relegation, holding a five-point cushion above the drop zone with three fixtures remaining — against Barcelona, Osasuna, and Las Palmas.

After falling short at Butarque, Los Periquitos will welcome a return to the RCDE Stadium, where they have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 league matches (W4, D6) — though that solitary loss came in their latest home game against Betis.

Espanyol will hope their home can drive them to a first top-flight win over Barcelona since a 2-1 away triumph back in February 2009.

Team News

Brian Olivan remains sidelined with a calf injury sustained in late March.

Pol Lozano, who missed the Leganes defeat due to a quad issue, has resumed training and could feature from the start against the Blaugrana.

Right-back Omar El Hilali is eligible to return after serving a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Javi Puado remains one of Espanyol’s key threats in attack, having netted 11 goals and contributed three assists in 32 La Liga appearances this term.

Barcelona

Barcelona are on the verge of securing the La Liga title after responding to their dramatic Champions League semi-final exit against Inter Milan with a thrilling 4-3 win over fierce rivals Real Madrid on Sunday at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Despite falling two goals behind early on to a Kylian Mbappe brace, the Blaugrana mounted an impressive comeback, with Eric Garcia and Lamine Yamal levelling the score before Raphinha struck twice to give them a 4-2 lead at half-time.

Mbappe completed his hat-trick after the break to cut the deficit, and although Fermin Lopez had a goal disallowed via VAR, Barcelona held on for a famous 4-3 victory that moved them to the cusp of adding La Liga to the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup already won in Hansi Flick’s debut season.

With a seven-point advantage at the summit, Barcelona can clinch their 28th league title on Wednesday if Real Madrid drop points to Mallorca. If not, a win over Espanyol on matchday 36 will be required to seal the crown.

Alongside securing the title, Barcelona are eyeing a 100-goal La Liga season, having netted 95 times across 35 matches so far.

They will feel confident heading into Thursday’s derby, having won 14 of their last 15 league games and each of their previous five away matches in the competition.

Barcelona are also unbeaten in their last 27 La Liga meetings with Espanyol (W20, D7), including November’s 3-1 win in the reverse fixture, where Dani Olmo bagged a brace and Raphinha added a third in the opening half-hour.

Team News

Marc Bernal remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury and continues his rehabilitation.

Jules Kounde and Pablo Torre are also likely to miss out as they recover from hamstring and knee injuries respectively.

In defence, Inigo Martinez is suspended for yellow card accumulation, which could open the door for either Ronald Araujo or Andreas Christensen to start – with Christensen pushing for inclusion after a strong showing off the bench in El Clasico.

Alejandro Balde is in contention to start after featuring for over 30 minutes against Real Madrid, but Robert Lewandowski may not be risked from the outset due to recent hamstring concerns.

Conclusion

Barcelona tend to perform strongly in Catalan derbies, and with 14 wins from their last 15 La Liga outings, the in-form visitors are expected to display their attacking prowess once more and secure a convincing win in Thursday’s meeting with Espanyol.

Verdict: Total away goals over 2.5

Best odds: 49/50

Bookmaker: Unibet