Barcelona host city rivals Espanyol on Sunday, knowing that they could seal the Spanish league title in the event that their rivals from the capital slip up.
Going into this weekend’s round of fixtures, Barcelona sit atop the La Liga table by virtue of having a better head-to-head record against Atletico Madrid, who are level on points with the Catalan giants. Both sides lead Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid by a point.
Squad update
Sandro Ramirez and Thomas Vermaelen will not be involved, while Claudio Bravo will likely sit out for the Catalans through an injury sustained last week against Real Betis. Barcelona will welcome back Jeremy Mathieu to the squad after the former Valencia defender was declared fit yesterday.
It is unlikely that Mathieu will start such a crucial tie after being out for over a month through injury, but he can be expected to feature later in the game if Barcelona take a comfortable lead. The injury to Claudio Bravo will see Ter Stegen get a rare league start. With no Champions League to focus on and therefore no need for rotation, Luis Enrique is expected to field a full-strength starting XI.
Enrique insists Barcelona can win the title on Sunday
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique was confident that his side could win the La Liga title this weekend with a victory in the Catalan Derby. He is quoted by Sky Sports as saying: “Why not? We can do it. Only we can do it this week. The objective we have in mind is to win our matches to be champions, because we are in control of our own fate.”
Enrique insisted that the atmosphere surrounding the derby will inspire his players to victory against Espanyol at the Nou Camp. “The challenge is very attractive,” he said. “We are playing our last game at the Camp Nou in what I hope will be a great atmosphere. Barca fans understand the difficulty of the match and the challenge that lies ahead.”
This is a game that could have huge implications for the Blaugrana. A loss or a draw could see them lose their title if both of their Madrid rivals were to win. Barcelona have not lost to neighbours Espanyol since 2007. That season saw Barcelona lose the title to Real Madrid, after Espanyol’s Raul Tamudo scored a brace against them. Only a win will do for the champions today as they look to avoid a repeat of that fateful day in 2007.
Player to watch out for: Luis Suarez
A player who has been integral to Barcelona’s title challenge this season has been Luiz Suarez, and in today’s derby, he could be reaching new individual landmarks. With 54 goals already this season, El Pistolero is in line to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring record and could also win La Liga’s Golden Boot and European Golden Shoe awards.
