By Graham Ruthven
Title formalities
Barcelona’s thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid in Sunday’s Clásico will be remembered as the moment Hansi Flick’s team effectively decided this season’s title race. The Catalans could, however, make it official by beating Espanyol.
Real Madrid’s dramatic win over Mallorca on Wednesday night means that three points is all that Barcelona need to seal the deal with three games left to play, starting with tonight’s trip across town.
The last few weeks have been gruelling for Barcelona. They have beaten Real Madrid twice – once in the Copa del Rey final and once to effectively win the title – and contested a classic Champions League semi-final, losing 7-6 on aggregate to Inter Milan.
While a treble is no longer on the cards for Barca, LaLiga and the Copa del Rey would still represent a remarkable season. Flick and his players have shown themselves as the best in Spain and now it’s just about getting over the line.
Espanyol, meanwhile, need points to secure survival with Manolo’s team just five points above the relegation zone. Three consecutive defeats have raised fears that Los Periquitos could be sucked into trouble.
Key players
Javi Puado has scored more goals (11) than any other Espanyol player this season and has good reason to believe he can add to this tally against a Barcelona defence that has conceded 14 goals in five games in all competitions.
Joan García has been a standout performer for Espanyol this season and the goalkeeper, currently being tracked by big clubs in England and elsewhere, will need to find his best form against Barcelona on Thursday night. Manolo will set up his team to play in a back five to keep the opposition forward line at arm’s length as much as possible.
This will be a tricky task considering the firepower in the Barcelona team. Raphinha will be a threat after bagging a brace in El Clásico, taking his tally for the season to 18 league goals. Lamine Yamal is also capable producing a moment of magic at any time.
Pedri has enjoyed the best season of his Barcelona career so far, creating 65 chances in total – only Raphinha (87) has created more. At the back, the de facto champions need the likes of Pau Cubarsí and Andreas Christensen to step up to keep things tight.
Team news
Pol Lozano missed the weekend defeat to Leganés, but could return from a quad injury to feature for Espanyol in Thursday’s derby. Right back Omar El Hilali will also be recalled to the lineup following a one-match suspension.
Robert Lewandowski is expected to start on the bench as he continues his recovery from injury. Iñigo Martínez will miss the match through suspension while Jules Koundé is expected to be unavailable.
Flick faces a decision between Wojciech Szczęsny and Marc-André ter Stegen after the former was favoured for the Clásico win over Real Madrid. The Polish goalkeeper could keep his place.
Prediction
It’s a formality, surely? But perhaps Espanyol can land a few punches before Barcelona’s title procession takes over: Espanyol 2-4 Barcelona.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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