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Espanyol and Barcelona face off in one of the most attractive fixtures of matchday 18 in LaLiga EA Sports 2025-26. The 'Pericos', currently fifth and performing brilliantly, welcome the league leaders in a derby where the hosts are out for revenge after seeing their eternal rivals crowned champions at their own ground last season.
Espanyol v Barcelona: Saturday, January 3, 20:00 GMT
Barcelona to win - 1/2 @ bet365
Lamine Yamal to score or assist at any time - 1/2 @ bet365
Over 3.5 total goals - 1/1 @ bet365
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Barcelona, the city with the best league run
Only the most optimistic could have imagined the outstanding first half of the season Espanyol are having. With 33 points, Manolo González’s side sit fifth, just four points behind third-placed Atlético de Madrid, who have played one more game.
In between, Villarreal are fourth on 35 points, also having played a game more than the 'Pericos'. Espanyol come into the derby in superb form and, coincidentally, along with Barcelona, they have the best results over the last five matchdays: five games, five wins.
November didn’t start well for a team that lost to Alavés (2-1) and Villarreal (0-2); however, they have bounced back in style. They beat Sevilla at home (2-1), Celta away in Vigo (0-1), Rayo Vallecano at their own ground (1-0), Getafe at the Coliseum (0-1), and finally Athletic Club in San Mamés (1-2).
During this run, they have matched the number of wins they had in all previous rounds and have got their fans dreaming of an even bigger achievement against the league’s top side.
Barcelona have really stepped up since losing to Real Madrid in the 'Clásico' on October 26. Since then, across all official competitions, they have played 12 matches and won 11. Their only defeat in that period came against Chelsea in the Champions League.
Since then, they have beaten Alavés (3-1), Atlético de Madrid (3-1), Betis (3-5), Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1), Osasuna (2-0), Guadalajara (0-2) and Villarreal (0-2) in succession. They have also won every league game since the 'Clásico', overcoming Elche (3-1), Celta (2-4) and Athletic (4-0) before their trip to Stamford Bridge.
This run allowed them to close the gap on Madrid and move to the top of the table with a four-point cushion over Los Blancos. Looking ahead to the derby, where they haven’t lost since 2009, the spotlight will be on Joan García, who faces his former club for the first time in a Barcelona shirt.
The goalkeeper, to make matters even more interesting, is in top form, making crucial saves since returning from injury. All these ingredients promise a unique clash this Saturday in Cornellà.
Unbeaten in league derbies since 2009
On 21 February 2009, Espanyol beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on matchday 24 of LaLiga. That was the last time the 'Pericos' defeated their neighbours in the league. Barcelona are now unbeaten in 28 meetings, with seven draws and 21 wins.
This, combined with the current league table and squad strength, leads us to favour a 'Culé' victory in this match. The hosts are one of the league’s form teams, alongside Barça, and both sides have five consecutive league wins, but there are 13 points between them, although Manolo González’s men have a game in hand.
Espanyol’s campaign has been outstanding, which is reflected in the 1/2 odds for a Barcelona win, but even so, Barça need at least to maintain their four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top, so they will be even more desperate for the win.
Tip: Barcelona to win - 1/2 @ bet365
Bet explanation: If Barcelona win the derby against Espanyol, this bet wins.
The year of Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal is already a global star, but 2026 looks set to be the year of the complete coronation of Barcelona’s number 10. With the World Cup on the horizon - a tournament that cements the status of the world’s best players - the 18-year-old forward wants to maintain his spectacular form and even improve on his already impressive numbers. This season, he has already scored 9 goals and provided 9 assists.
Last season, he got 18 goals and 21 assists overall. With half the campaign still to go, the Spain international is on course to surpass his best-ever stats. In his last seven official matches, he has three goals and three assists, a run that gives us confidence for this second tip.
Against Espanyol, at a ground where he scored a stunning goal to seal last season’s title, we expect him to have a direct impact on the scoreline and reach double figures for goals and/or assists, after one goal and two assists in two previous appearances.
Tip: Lamine Yamal to score or assist at any time - 1/2 @ bet365
Bet explanation: This bet will be a winner if Lamine Yamal scores or provides an assist at any time against Espanyol.
The derby, a guarantee of goals
The final tip follows the trend Barcelona have shown lately. Their matches tend to be high-scoring affairs, both in recent games and in recent derbies against Espanyol. In their last two league outings, only two goals were scored in wins over Osasuna and Villarreal.
But before that, Hansi Flick’s side had six consecutive matches with more than three goals scored or conceded. There were four goals against Elche (3-1), Athletic (4-0), Alavés (3-1) and Atlético de Madrid (3-1), while there were six at Balaídos against Celta (2-4) and eight in the 3-5 win over Betis at La Cartuja.
What’s more, Espanyol and Barcelona have seen over 3.5 goals in four of their last five derbies played at Espanyol’s ground. The 'Culés' won 0-4 and 2-4 in 2018 and 2023, while in between, there were two 2-2 draws in 2020 and 2022. The only exception was last season’s 0-2, which secured the league title for Barça.
Tip: Over 3.5 total goals - 1/1 @ bet365
Bet explanation: to win this selection, there must be at least four goals scored between Espanyol and Barcelona in this match.
Odds for Espanyol v Barcelona
Barcelona to win: 1/2 @ bet365
Odds correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
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Odds correct at the time of publication and subject to change.