La Liga table-toppers Barcelona make their 2026 debut on Saturday night with a visit to crosstown rivals Espanyol in the first Catalan derby of the season.
Barcelona have won eight straight in La Liga to take full control of the title race, four points clear of the struggling Real Madrid. The reigning champions are rounding into form and will look to continue their ascent against their city rivals.
Manolo González’s Espanyol, though, will be eager to play spoiler. Los Periquitos have been one of the surprises of the season and their five straight league wins have them sitting fifth in the standings.
Still, Barcelona haven’t lost at the RCDE Stadium in almost 20 years and will be focused on continuing that trend before making the trip to Saudi Arabia to defend their Spanish Super Cup crown next week.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the game.
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Espanyol vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Espanyol |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Athletic Club 1–2 Espanyol – 22/12/25 |
Villarreal 0–2 Barcelona – 21/12/25 |
|
Getafe 0–1 Espanyol – 13/12/25 |
Guadalajara 0–2 Barcelona – 16/12/25 |
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Espanyol 1–0 Rayo Vallecano – 07/12/25 |
Barcelona 2–0 Osasuna – 13/12/25 |
|
Atlético Baleares 1–0 Espanyol – 04/12/25 |
Barcelona 2–1 Eintracht Frankfurt – 09/12/25 |
|
Celta Vigo 0–1 Espanyol – 30/11/25 |
Real Betis 3–5 Barcelona – 06/12/25 |
|
Country |
TV/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United States |
ESPN Select, fuboTV, ESPN App |
|
United Kingdom |
Disney+ Premium |
|
Canada |
TSN+ |
|
Mexico |
Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+ |
The hosts will feel like this is their best chance of defeating their bitter city rivals at home in La Liga since 2007, given the stellar run of form they’ve managed over the past month. Only Barcelona have collected better results than Espanyol since the calendar turned to December.
Espanyol will be hindered by just two significant absentees. Román Terrats remains sidelined with a hamstring injury and Charles Pickel is away at AFCON. However, for the first time since early October, Javier Puado could play some minutes after recovering from a knee injury.
Espanyol’s hopes for success will be heavily placed on an impressive defense that’s allowed just 17 goals this term, the third best mark in the division. Leandro Cabrera and Fernando Calero have formed a mighty partnership in the heart of defense and will have to be at their best when Barcelona come knocking.
Up front, Blackburn Rovers academy graduate Tyrhys Dolan and Espanyol leading goalscorer Javier Milla will flank Roberto Fernández, aiming to expose Barça’s suspect backline.
Espanyol predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Dmitrović; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; González, Lozano; Dolan, Expósito, Milla; Fernández.
All eyes will be on goalkeeper Joan García as he makes he returns to his former home. The Spaniard has been nothing short of sensational since joining Barcelona last summer, but he’s in for an unfriendly welcome when he returns to face his boyhood club for the first time in his career.
In front of García, Barcelona’s backline has found stability since the calendar turned to December and Flick is expected to stick with the same four players that have featured heavily during the positive run.
Pedri will return to his usual spot in midfield after recovering from a muscular overload and Eric García will likely be deployed next to him instead of Frenkie de Jong.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, meanwhile, ended the year in style and will hope to start 2026 the same way, flanking Ferran Torres on a mission to overwhelm a stout defense.
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Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Espanyol (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; García, Pedri; Yamal, López, Raphinha; Torres.
This will be far from a walk in the park for the La Liga leaders, but the significant gap in overall quality between both sides, along with Barcelona’s recent improvement, should see them exit the RCDE Stadium with all three points.
It’s a marquee matchup for Barcelona, especially for La Masia players that have known from a young age that Espanyol are a rival they can’t afford to drop points against. There will be a little extra motivation for Flick’s men as they aim to maintain their Catalan derby dominance.
It will take something special to bypass Espanyol’s sturdy backline, but fortunately for Barcelona, they have a number of players capable of producing that magical moment.
Prediction: Espanyol 1–2 Barcelona
