Two clubs in the top half of the Spanish Liga table will do battle today in a league match between Espanyol and Barcelona. The first-division clash scheduled for 11 a.m. ET will be held at the Estadi Corneliá-El Prat in Barcelona and can be live streamed here free.
Barcelona enters today's match still carrying the momentum created in their 4-3 victory over Real Madrid in El Clásico. A midweek victory, coupled with favorable results around the league, allowed the club to leap into second place in the Spanish table. That, however, hasn't kept manager Tata Martino from respecting today's opposition (h/t to Marca). "I see Espanyol as a team with similar strong points to Atlético," Martino said.
"A solid team that runs a lot and makes every game difficult difficult for you," he added.
"And to all that you need to add everything that goes with playing a derby and the fact that we'll be playing against a great player in Sergio García, a player that knocks any defence off its stride."
"Perhaps because we'll be playing in their stadium they might try pressing us a bit further up the pitch."
Will Barcelona respond to the pressures created by the Derbi Barceloní? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: As mentioned by Martino, Espanyol's Sergio García has been dynamic forward for the club this season. The 30-year-old has 11 goals and seven assists in 29 league appearances.
Espanyol's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Casilla; López, Colotto, Moreno, Fuentes; López, Sánchez; Stuani, Pizzi, Simão; García
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Pinto; Alba, Mascherano, Piqué, Alves; Iniesta, Busquets, Xavi; Neymar, Messi, Pedro
Spanish League Table
|
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
|
1 |
Atlético Madrid |
30 |
23 |
4 |
3 |
67 |
21 |
46 |
73 |
|||
|
2 |
FC Barcelona |
30 |
23 |
3 |
4 |
88 |
25 |
63 |
72 |
|||
|
3 |
Real Madrid |
30 |
22 |
4 |
4 |
81 |
32 |
49 |
70 |
|||
|
4 |
Athletic Club |
30 |
16 |
8 |
6 |
52 |
32 |
20 |
56 |
|||
|
5 |
Sevilla FC |
30 |
14 |
8 |
8 |
55 |
45 |
10 |
50 |
|||
|
6 |
Real Sociedad |
30 |
14 |
7 |
9 |
53 |
43 |
10 |
49 |
|||
|
7 |
Villarreal CF |
30 |
14 |
6 |
10 |
50 |
36 |
14 |
48 |
|||
|
8 |
RCD Espanyol |
30 |
11 |
7 |
12 |
34 |
35 |
-1 |
40 |
|||
|
9 |
Valencia CF |
30 |
11 |
7 |
12 |
43 |
42 |
1 |
40 |
|||
|
10 |
Levante UD |
30 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
27 |
38 |
-11 |
37 |
|||
|
11 |
Granada CF |
30 |
10 |
4 |
16 |
28 |
40 |
-12 |
34 |
|||
|
12 |
Celta de Vigo |
30 |
9 |
6 |
15 |
33 |
44 |
-11 |
33 |
|||
|
13 |
Rayo Vallecano |
30 |
10 |
3 |
17 |
34 |
63 |
-29 |
33 |
|||
|
14 |
Málaga CF |
30 |
8 |
8 |
14 |
29 |
38 |
-9 |
32 |
|||
|
15 |
Elche CF |
30 |
7 |
10 |
13 |
24 |
41 |
-17 |
31 |
|||
|
16 |
UD Almería |
30 |
8 |
6 |
16 |
33 |
57 |
-24 |
30 |
|||
|
17 |
Osasuna |
30 |
8 |
5 |
17 |
25 |
51 |
-26 |
29 |
|||
|
18 |
Getafe CF |
30 |
7 |
7 |
16 |
26 |
47 |
-21 |
28 |
|||
|
19 |
Real Valladolid |
30 |
5 |
12 |
13 |
31 |
50 |
-19 |
27 |
|||
|
20 |
Real Betis |
30 |
5 |
7 |
18 |
26 |
59 |
-33 |
22 |
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