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There is a catalogue of reasons why these two clubs don’t like one another, from the political to the socio-cultural. There’s also the small matter of the fact that their respective home stadia are separated by just six miles.
That helps to explain why the Barcelona v Espanyol rivalry is such a good one to watch, even if – historically speaking – it has been overwhelmingly dominated by Barça.
Seven points clear at the summit of the La Liga table, Barcelona have put some breathing space between themselves and Real Madrid in second – enabling them to focus fully on their Champions League encounter with Atletico Madrid.
But they would be foolish to take their eye off the ball against Espanyol, who are still in the hunt for a top-six finish – even if they are currently in the midst of a remarkable run: failing to win a single game in 2026 so far.
Could Espanyol break that hoodoo at Camp Nou, of all places?
Barcelona v Espanyol key information
• Date: Saturday, April 11
• Kick-off time: 17:30 GMT
• Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
• Referee: N/A
• VAR: N/A
• TV channels: Premier Sports 2 (UK)
• Odds: BARCA (27/100) – DRAW (19/4) – ESP (9/1)
Barcelona team news
Will Hansi Flick shuffle his pack for this game, knowing that the Atletico Madrid clash on Tuesday is arguably of greater importance?
It’s quite possible, with the German hoping that even his fringe players have what it takes to see off a beleaguered Espanyol outfit.
Complications have arisen courtesy of a hamstring injury suffered by Raphinha, while Frenkie de Jong is also struggling with a thigh problem.
Andreas Christensen has missed much of the campaign after suffering a catastrophic knee injury, but otherwise Flick will have a full deck to choose from.
But who will he deploy given that attention will likely be elsewhere?
Barcelona predicted lineup v Espanyol, (4-2-3-1)
Garcia; Kounde, Martin, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski.
Espanyol team news
At least Espanyol head coach Manolo Gonzalez doesn’t have too many absentees to worry about as he plots a route back to form for his side.
Clemens Riedel will serve a suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out, while Javi Puedo is unlikely to play in this campaign again after damaging his ACL.
Otherwise, it’s all hands on deck for Gonzalez as he plans an almighty underdog win on Saturday.
Espanyol predicted lineup v Barcelona, (4-2-3-1)
Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Cabrera, Calero, Romero; Gonzalez, Lozano; Ngonge, Exposito, Dolan; Fernandez.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
You can typically catch a handful of La Liga games on Premier Sports 2 each weekend, with this Barcelona v Espanyol clash in the diary as well.
Premier Sports can be added onto your subscription with the likes of Sky TV, Virgin Media and Amazon Prime, with a streaming subscription available directly from Premier Sports as well.
Head-to-head record
Espanyol supporters… look away now.
The head-to-head record between Barcelona’s premier sides does not read well for the perennial underdogs, with Barça winning 24 of their last 36 meetings (nine draws, three wins for Espanyol).
You have to go all the way back to January 2018 to find the last time that Espanyol defeated Barcelona – and even that was in the Copa del Rey. You have to go back to the 2008/09 season to find the last time Los Periquitos won a Derbi Barceloni game in La Liga.
In the corresponding fixture played earlier this season in January, Barça ran out 2-0 victors – Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski on the scoresheet.
Odds for Barcelona v Espanyol
Combining Barça’s supremacy in this fixture and Espanyol’s hapless form in 2026, is it any wonder that the hosts are red-hot favourites here? They are the 27/100 favourites for bet365, while Espanyol are a longshot 9/1 outsider. The draw is available at 19/4.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.