La Liga preview and betting tip: Barcelona look to clinch title in crunch derby at Espanyol
Barcelona can become La Liga champions at their local rivals' stadium in the Catalan capital on Sunday night. Tipstrr football pundit Sergiu Baltuta takes a closer look at this vital local derby.
2023-05-14La Liga preview and betting tip: Barcelona look to clinch title in crunch derby at Espanyol
This game has a crucial bearing on things at both ends of La Liga, because at the bottom of the table Barca's hosts, Espanyol, are embroiled in a battle to stave off relegation.
The gap between the two teams this season has been huge, and indeed since the year 2000, the two Catalan sides have never faced each other with such a points difference between them, which is currently a massive 51-point margin.
The La Liga leaders have an excellent season defensively, as they have conceded only 11 goals this season, a true record that has seen them keep a remarkable 25 clean sheets in their 33 games so far.
Barcelona have admittedly dropped the pace recently, winning just three of their last seven outings, including their last two away games, 0-0 against Getafe and 1-2 against Rayo Vallecano.
In their last five away games in the league, Xavi's team has only two wins, but it is difficult to see them failing to raise their game for this clash against their struggling rivals.
Espanyol desperately need to win, something they have achieved just once in their last 10 league games, while at home they have won just two of their last seven.
Another defeat here would leave them stuck in the bottom three, while a win would at least see them draw level on points with relegation rivals Getafe.
Espanyol's only reason to be optimistic is that in the reverse fixture they managed to leave Camp Nou with a hard-earned point after a 1-1 draw, while their last encounter at Cornella-El Prat also ended all square, 2-2.
In the last 10 head-to-head games Espanyol are without a win against their rivals (drawn five, lost five), and Espanyol's last win against Barcelona was in January 2018, a 1-0 in Copa del Rey, and even that that proved futile because in the second leg at Camp Nou Barca managed to overturn it with a 2-0 win.
