Barcelona vs. Espanyol: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Barcelona cannot afford to slip up in Sunday's Catalan derby at the Camp Nou against Espanyol as they need all the points they can get to stay in touch with Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table.
However, their record in recent years against their neighbours would suggest Luis Enrique's men have what it takes to pick up a victory.
Espanyol's away record this season is also a concern for the visitors and they will need to put in a top performance if they are to make the short trip home with something to show for it.
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Read on for all the television, scheduling and live streaming information for Sunday's game as well as a preview of a fascinating derby.
Date: Sunday, Dec. 7
Time: 4 p.m. GMT, 11 a.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports 5 (UK), beIN Sports (US)
Live Stream: Sky Go, beIN Sports Connect
Preview
Against a different side, Sunday's home match for second-placed Barca would look like a routine three points.
The La Liga giants are hosting a side who are 10 places and 17 points below them in the table, and who have picked up just two points on the road this season from six away games.
However, it is not just any other game, it is a derby, and Espanyol will be desperate to beat their more auspicious neighbours, a feat they have not achieved since 2008.
Indeed, Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla was not holding back when he expressed how much a win would mean to his side, and he has seemingly picked out some weaknesses in Enrique's setup, per Goal.com:
"To win at Camp Nou and with it being a derby, it would be one of the most beautiful things that could happen. It would be great. All teams have some weaknesses. They have few but they do have some and it is necessary to take advantage of those to claim a positive result.
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It will be a massive challenge for Sergio Gonzalez's side, although they do come into the game on the back of consecutive victories—a Copa del Rey win midweek following last weekend's 2-1 victory over Levante in the league.
However, Sergio needs to find himself a goalscorer who can penetrate Barcelona's defence, the most frugal in the league this season having conceded just six goals all season, and only two at home.
Espanyol have not netted once against Barca in their last five meetings, but Christian Stuani could be the man to buck that trend having scored more than a third of his side's 14 league goals so far this season, per WhoScored.com.
The odds are very much stacked in Barcelona's favour. They come into Sunday's match in fine form after six wins on the bounce in all competitions.
A stoppage-time victory last time out in the league away against Valencia will have given them a huge boost. The terrific Sergio Busquets header prevented them dropping four points behind Real, per tactics expert Michael Cox:
They have also been buoyed by the return from injury of Andres Iniesta who scored midweek against Huesca in the Copa del Rey to mark his comeback, per Eurosport.
Barcelona will dictate the pace of play on Sunday and are likely to have the lion's share of possession with Espanyol's first port of call set to be keeping their hosts' attacking talents in check.
But it will be no easy feat for the visitors against the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan is yet to score a La Liga goal for his new club and will be eager to claim his first in the derby.
While it is a well-worn cliche that form goes out the window in a derby, Barcelona's quality should be too much for their visitors on Sunday and only an inspired performance from Espanyol will prevent them from going home empty-handed.
