Espanyol take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 34 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, May 14th at RCDE Stadium (Cornella de Llobregat).
Espanyol spent the season before last in the Segunda Division. Upon their immediate return to La Liga, they accumulated enough points last season to comfortably finish outside the relegation zone. However, they were hoping for more, and those hopes were linked to the appointment of Diego Martinez Penas. He failed to replicate the success he had at Granada, where he led them from the Segunda Division to the Europa League playoffs almost directly. But the parakeets continued to decline. His successor, Luis Garcia Fernandez, didn't make much of an improvement either. They managed to end April with a victory, their first in nine rounds, and even defeated their direct competitor, Getafe. However, following that, Espanyol lost 2-3 to Sevilla, which currently places the team second to last, trailing both the blues from the suburbs of Madrid and Valencia by 3 points.
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Barcelona already know what the outcome of this season will be. So far, Xavi has struggled in European competitions. He managed to achieve even less than in the previous campaign. In the Champions League, they once again finished in 3rd place, with Inter clearly showing that they were stronger (although the black and blue team is very close to reaching the final now). Falling into the Europa League, they were eliminated in February, in the very first playoff round, albeit by Manchester United. However, they did succeed in winning the decisive match of the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid on home ground (this brought Xavi his first title as a coach in Catalonia), and then they defeated Real Madrid in La Liga. It didn't go without a spoonful of tar, in the form of a crushing home defeat in the cup against the galacticos. But overall, especially compared to the previous season, the blaugrana can consider this football year a success. They already have a chance to secure the trophy in La Liga. Furthermore, it's an added motivation to achieve it on the field of their neighbor and historical rival.
Certainly, Barcelona have a noticeable advantage in this derby. However, in 2022, Espanyol managed to secure two draws against their more than a club rivals. Bookmakers believe that Barcelona will not leave any chances for their neighbors. It is recommended to consider betting on Barcelona's victory with a handicap of -1.0 goal scored.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win with -1.0 handicap.
