The 12th round La Liga match between Barcelona and Espanyol will take place on November 3 at the Olympic Louis Companys Stadium. "Barcelona" vs "Espanyol": prediction and betting, odds, statistics.
Referee: Jose Luis Munuera Montero (Spain)
Matches – 5 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow/red cards shown – 23;
Average yellow/red cards per match – 4.6;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 40%.
Projected line-ups for the match "Barcelona" vs "Espanyol"
"Barcelona" (4-2-3-1): Inaki Pena – Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde, Inigo Martinez, Alex Balde – Marc Casado, Pedri – Raphinha Dias, Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal – Robert Lewandowski.
"Espanyol" (4-4-2): Joan Garcia – Leandro Cabrera, Brian Olivan, Marash Kumbulla, Omar El-Hilali – Alvaro Tejero, Pol Lozano, Alex Kral, Jofre Carreras – Walid Cheddira, Javi Puado.
The starting line-ups for each team are from their last match in this tournament.
"Barcelona"
The Catalan club did not even notice Real Madrid in the last round, thrashing their arch-rivals on their own turf with a score of 4-0. This was the third consecutive big win in the league: before that, Hansi Flick's men beat Alaves away (3-0) and Sevilla at home (5-1). After 11 rounds, the team has 30 points, pulling six points clear of Real Madrid. It's also worth noting that Barcelona has scored 37 goals – nearly twice as many as the nearest follower in this statistic.
Defender Ronald Araujo, midfielder Marc Bernal, forward Ferran Torres, and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss the match due to injuries.
- Both teams have scored in 8 of the last 12 Barcelona games in La Liga.
- At least four goals have been scored in 6 of the last 8 Barcelona league matches.
- The team has opened the scoring in 7 of their last 8 La Liga encounters.
"Espanyol"
The Catalans are approaching the derby with two consecutive losses in the league. First, Manolo Gonzalez's charges were thrashed away by Atletico Madrid (1-4), and then they lost at home to Sevilla (0-2). It should also be added that Espanyol has suffered five defeats in their last six league matches (with a victory over Mallorca – 2-1). The club has slipped to 17th place and is now only one point ahead of the nearest relegation zone rival.
- Both teams have scored in 6 of the last 8 Espanyol games in La Liga.
- At least three goals have been scored in 6 of the last 8 Espanyol league matches.
- The club has not won in the first half in their last seven away league matches (5 draws and 2 losses).
"Barcelona" vs "Espanyol": Match Prediction
I have no doubts about the winner of the upcoming match. The hosts have a colossal advantage over their local rivals in head-to-head confrontations – 19 wins and 7 draws in the last 26 league meetings. Particularly telling are the matches of these clubs at Barcelona's ground, where the hosts have secured 12 wins and 1 draw in the last 13 La Liga encounters.
The current form of the opponents also differs significantly. Hansi Flick's men are thrashing all their rivals, while Espanyol is merely fighting for survival in La Liga. Barcelona scores more than three goals on average per match in the league, and I expect them to net at least 3 times again. Robert Lewandowski, who has already scored 14 goals in La Liga this season, cannot be overlooked either.
My prediction is "Barcelona Total Goals Over 2.5" with odds of
Villarreal
Rayo Vallecano
