La Liga: Barcelona vs Espanyol live
Preview
Barcelona kick start Xavi’s tenure with a game in La Liga against Espanyol at the Camp Nou on Saturday at 8:00pm (GMT). Xavi will seek to win his first league game as Barcelona coach to aid his side climb up the table.
Barcelona sit ninth on the table with seventeen points from twelve league games. The home side have only one win in their last six games in La Liga, losing three games and drawing two games. Barca come into this game on the back of an appalling stalemate with Celta Vigo.
Espanyol on the other hand sit eleventh on the table, level on points with Barca but have played thirteen games so far. The visitors have won three of their last six games in La Liga, drawing two games and losing a game. Espanyol come into this game on the back of a win after a 2-0 victory over Granada at home.
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Head-to-Head
Barca have not lost any of their last twenty-two games against Espanyol in the La Liga, winning seventeen games and drawing five games while keeping sixteen clean sheets in the process. Barcelona won by a goal to nil the last time these two teams faced each other.
Prediction
Barca have the quality to win this game but a stalemate could be on the cards. Xavi might steady the ship but I think it will take some time. The visitors will be resilient and sit deep, frustrate their hosts and exploit the spaces they leave in behind. Barca’s superstars will have to pull up here but their level of inconsistency is staggering so the visitors might just sneak away with a draw.
Lineup
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Pique, Garcia, Alba; Gonzalez, Busquets, F De Jong; Depay, Gavira, Akhomach
Espanyol XI: Lopez; Vidal, Gomez, Cabrera, Pedrosa, Lopez; Herrera, Puado, Darder, Embarba; De Tomas
Live stream
