Barcelona will be bidding to make it three straight La Liga victories on today as they head to RCDE Stadium to take on Catalan rivals Espanyol in the Barcelona derby.
The visitors are currently fourth in the table, just two points behind third-placed Real Betis with a game in hand, while Espanyol occupy 13th, three points behind 10th-placed Celta Vigo.
Having secured a return to La Liga by winning last season’s Segunda Division, consolidation back at this level was always going to be Espanyol’s number one priority during the 2021-22 campaign, so it has been a relatively successful season to date despite their recent struggles.
Indeed, a record of seven wins, six draws and 10 defeats from 23 matches has seen the Catalan outfit collect 27 points, which has left them in 13th spot in the table, three points off the top 10 and crucially nine points clear of the relegation zone heading into the final months of the season.
Espanyol are without a victory in the league since the end of December, though, picking up just one point from their last four matches against Elche, Cadiz, Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona’s XI
Despite a lot of reports claiming that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would be included in Barcelona’s line-up for today’s game, Xavi Hernandez has opted to make just one change from the XI that started against Atletico Madrid, as Sergino Dest comes in for the suspended Dani Alves.
Barcelona’s starting line-up (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Sergino Dest, Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Jordi Alba; Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Pedri; Adama Traore, Ferran Torres, Gavi.
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