Official: Barcelona starting lineup against Espanyol – Gavi, Pedri in | OneFootball

In a little over an hour, the Catalan derby between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol will kick off at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Ahead of the crucial game, winning which could take them closer to the La Liga title, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has announced the starting lineup that will take the field against their local rivals.

There had been talk of heavy rotation with an eye on Tuesday’s match against Atletico Madrid. And Flick has opted to make some interesting changes to the team.

The big news is that fan-favourite midfielder Gavi makes his first start in 11 months, having not started a match for Barcelona since May 2025.

The Spaniard is expected to operate as the false left-winger for Barcelona tonight. He will partner with Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal at the top.

Fermin Lopez also starts for Barcelona, replacing Dani Olmo in the No. 10 position.

Eric Garcia partners with Pedri in the middle of the park, who features from the start again despite having been substituted due to discomfort against Atletico earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Alejandro Balde starts for the first time since returning from injury earlier this month, replacing Joao Cancelo at left-back.

Ronald Araujo comes in at right-back, while Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin feature as the centre-backs again.