Two clubs in opposite halves of the Liga BBVA table will do battle today in a league match between Barcelona and Espanyol. The Catalan derby scheduled for 11 a.m. ET will be held at the Nou Camp in Barcelona and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
What They're Saying
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique (via Inside Spanish Football): "I remember that Messi waited for his turn with Ronaldinho, and now the others wait. It's something the players decide between them, they have freedom. We have good shooters, like Ivan [Rakitic], Xavi or Neymar, but for me it seems good that there's respect for the roles and the hierarchies."
Espanyol midfielder Victor Sanchez (via Inside Spanish Football): "In the previous years, Barcelona hadn't yet lost at this point of the season and now they have. And moreover, they've played matches in which they've suffered. Opponents have created more chances and hopefully, with our weapons, we can hurt them."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Even with a litany of talent surrounding him, Lionel Messi remains the club's main facilitator in 2014. In 13 league appearances, the 27-year-old has a club-best seven assists and an average of 2.9 key passes.
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Bravo; Alba, Mathieu, Pique, Alves; Mascherano, Busquets, Xavi; Suarez, Neymar, Messi
Espanyol's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Casilla; Fuentes, Colotto, Baily, Arbilla; Sevilla, Canas, Sanchez, Vazquez; Garcia, Caicedo
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid CF | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 51 | 12 | 39 | 36 | |||
| 2 | Atlético Madrid | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 12 | 15 | 32 | |||
| 3 | FC Barcelona | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 31 | |||
| 4 | Sevilla FC | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 26 | |||
| 5 | Valencia CF | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 12 | 12 | 24 | |||
| 6 | Málaga CF | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 24 | |||
| 7 | Villarreal CF | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 21 | |||
| 8 | Celta de Vigo | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 20 | |||
| 9 | Athletic Club | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 15 | -3 | 18 | |||
| 10 | Rayo Vallecano | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 24 | -8 | 17 | |||
| 11 | Eibar | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 16 | |||
| 12 | RCD Espanyol | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 17 | -3 | 14 | |||
| 13 | Getafe CF | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 18 | -8 | 14 | |||
| 14 | Real Sociedad | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 16 | -1 | 13 | |||
| 15 | Levante UD | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 28 | -18 | 12 | |||
| 16 | Granada CF | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 22 | -15 | 11 | |||
| 17 | UD Almería | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 10 | |||
| 18 | Córdoba CF | 14 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 10 | |||
| 19 | Deportivo La Coruña | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 24 | -12 | 10 | |||
| 20 | Elche CF | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 29 | -17 | 10 |
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