Barcelona will have their first opportunity to seal the 2022-23 La Liga title this weekend, as they will be aware that victory against local rivals Espanyol would lift them over the line. The hosts will also be battle for vital points in their battle to avoid the drop.
La Liga Preview
It has been a brilliant season for Barcelona, and almost certainly looks to end with the club being crowned champions of Spain. They sit top of the standings by a comfortable margin, and the championship could be crowned on Sunday evening. Barcelona comes into this match on the road in excellent recent form, as they have recorded wins in each of their previous two matches. Meanwhile, they have suffered just one defeat all season.
The Spanish giants put themselves within one victory of landing the title last weekend, as they secured a 1-0 success against Osasuna at the Nou Camp. The winning goal was scored with just five minutes remaining, as Jordi Alba fired home in the cagey home match with few chances.
While all the focus will be on Barcelona this weekend, this will also be a huge showdown for Espanyol in front of their home fans. They sit second-bottom in the standings, and remain three points adrift from safety with just five matches of the season remaining. They come into this testing fixture having lost three of their previous five, while they have won just once over that period.
Espanyol were cruelly denied a point in their previous match, as they were beaten 3-2 on the road by Sevilla. The winning goal for the hosts in that fixture was scored with just two minutes of the 90 remaining.
Espanyol vs Barcelona Head to Head
Barcelona has an incredible record in this fixture, as they have won 22 of the previous 32 clashes between the sides. The hosts have won on just two occasions, while eight matches have ended in draws. Interestingly, each of the previous two meetings have ended in draws, including the showdown between the sides at the Nou Camp earlier this season.
Espanyol vs Barcelona Prediction
Barcelona haven’t been blowing teams away in recent weeks, and we expect another low-scoring affair this weekend. However, we expect the Catalonian giants to wrap up the league title this weekend by claiming a 2-0 win at the home of their local rivals.
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