Espanyol vs. Barcelona: Preview, Predictions and Lineups | OneFootball

Barcelona go up against their local rivals Espanyol on Thursday as they look to complete the domestic treble.

La Blaugrana will have been closely following Real Madrid's result against Mallorca on Wednesday evening waiting to see if they needed to beat Espanyol to clinch the La Liga title at the RCDE Stadium. Securing their 28th La Liga triumph would cap an extraordinary debut season for Hansi Flick at the helm.

Barcelona all but secured the title at the weekend when they beat Madrid in a breathless affair. A remarkable first-half comeback saw them run out 4–3 winners despite Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick, offering them a seven-point advantage prior to the midweek fixtures.

Espanyol have still not confirmed their place in La Liga for next season despite sitting in a strong position to avoid the drop. Any points against the league leaders would be as welcome as they would be unexpected.

Here is Sports Illustrated's guide to the clash.

What Time Does Espanyol vs. Barcelona Kick-Off?

Espanyol vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (All Competitions)

How to Watch Espanyol vs. Barcelona on TV

Espanyol Team News

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Manolo González has just one fitness issue ahead of Barcelona's visit, with Brian Oliván absent for the Catalan side. In better news, Omar El Hilali will return after serving a one-match suspension last time out and Pol Lozano could feature having recently returned to training following injury.

Espanyol will lean on the creative influence and goalscoring prowess of Javi Puado on Thursday. The forward has 11 goals and three assists in La Liga this term and five goal contributions in his last seven appearances.

Espanyol Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona

Espanyol predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Gonzalez, Lozano; Roca, Expósito, Puado; Fernández.

Barcelona Team News

Jules Koundé (left) remains sidelined / IMAGO/Joan Gosa

Barcelona will continue without first-choice right back Jules Koundé on Thursday as he battles a foot injury, with the Frenchman joining Pablo Torre and long-term absentee Marc Bernal in the treatment room.

Marc Casadó returned to the bench in El Clásico having been missing since mid-March and Alejandro Balde made his comeback as a substitute. Robert Lewandowski, however, was unused as he fights a hamstring injury.

Iñigo Martínez is suspended after accumulating his fifth yellow card in La Liga last weekend.

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Espanyol

Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Espanyol (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; García, Araújo, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres.

Espanyol vs. Barcelona Score Prediction

Barcelona's formidable band of forwards have scored three or more in six of the last 10 matches in all competitions and they should run up the score on Thursday. Victory looks inevitable for Flick's side given the form of their big-hitters, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha strong candidates to get on the scoresheet.

Espanyol's three-game losing run offers them little hope of upsetting the odds at home to their local adversaries, although they could unnerve the leaky Barcelona defence that has conceded 13 times in the last five games.

Regardless, Barcelona's attacking muscle should see them home here.