Espanyol vs. Barcelona: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
Emerging unscathed from the last four matches will have given the side and Luis Enrique a real confidence boost ahead of the game, but they need to be wary of their hosts despite having the upper hand in fixtures over the last few years.
Per Fussball Wettpoint, the Periquitos haven't beaten Barca at home since 2007 and that remains their only home win in the last 10 years against the Blaugrana.
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Unbeaten in six themselves, including victories over Villarreal and Athletic Club, and a draw against Atletico Madrid, Sergio's side are not to be taken lightly.
Date: Saturday, April 25
Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m ET
Venue: Estadi Cornella-El Prat, Barcelona, Spain
TV Info: Sky Sports 5 (UK - Highlights only from 9 p.m.)/beIN Sports 1 (USA only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK only)/beIN Sports Connect (USA only)
Form Lines
| Espanyol | Barcelona |
| D 2-2 vs. Levante | W 2-0 vs Paris Saint-Germain |
| W 1-0 vs. Athletic Club | W 2-0 vs Valencia |
| W 3-0 vs. Villarreal | W 3-1 vs Paris Saint-Germain |
| D 1-1 vs. Elche | D 2-2 vs Sevilla |
| D 0-0 vs. Deportivo La Coruna | W 4-0 vs Almeria |
| D 0-0 vs. Atletico Madrid | W 1-0 vs. Celta Vigo |
WhoScored.com
Predicted Formations
Sergio's attacking 4-2-3-1 is more likely to morph into a 4-5-1 for long periods as the home side seeks to disrupt Barca's creativity.
Ex-Barca man Victor Sanchez is a huge miss for the hosts, with his fifth yellow card of the season against Levante ruling him out of this one.
Javi Lopez will likely be tasked with the main holding role in his place, with Hector Moreno and Alvaro Gonzalez doing their best to ensure the space between those lines is minimal.
Neymar and Lionel Messi will have licence to roam but may target the central areas and track Luis Suarez's world-class movement.
Neither central defender is great on the turn so the ball in just behind could reap dividends.
Both Dani Alves and Jordi Alba will try to stretch the play and the more times Alves goes toe-to-toe with Ruben Duarte the better, as the youngster is still very much learning his craft.
Ivan Rakitic's fine brand of vertical play will get another outing here alongside Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
Javier Mascherano will partner the in-form Gerard Pique, a player who is getting better the longer the season goes on.
Claudio Bravo and Kiko Casilla don the gloves.
Player to Watch
Felipe Caceido is finding his best form of the season in the latter stages.
The robust centre-forward will provide Barca's back line a torrid time given half the chance, so Pique and Mascherano will need to be on their guard all game.
The energetic 26-year-old will keep chipping away at the coal face for the full 90 minutes and Villareal found out to their cost what a handful he can be if not kept under lock and key.
While much of Espanyol's attacking play will invariably be spearheaded by the Ecuadorian, Caceido's expert hold-up play will ensure the incessant running of Sergio Garcia, Victor Alvarez and Lucas Vazquez isn't without reward.
Key Battle
Dani Alves can be decisive in this game, as he comes up against young Ruben Duarte.
Espanyol's back four have been a relatively tight unit recently but if the Brazilian's support play can tempt Duarte into direct contact it will open up the channel between the left-back and Moreno for Messi in particular to go about his work.
Only 19, Duarte nevertheless has played for Spain at every level up to U21 and is comfortable in possession of the football.
Odds
The following pre-match odds are available via our betting partner OddsShark:
Home Win: +700
Away Win: -400
Draw: +600
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