Espanyol take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 36 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Thursday, April 15th at RCDE Stadium (Cornella de Llobregat).
Espanyol have generally achieved their objective. The Parakeets, of course, are nowhere near the level of their city rivals. Still, they do have historical pedigree and decent ambitions of their own. It was tough to accept becoming something of a yo-yo club, bouncing between La Liga and the Segunda. Last time they returned only through the playoffs. This season, however, they managed to secure safety without too much drama, hitting the necessary points mark by May. A crucial run in April saw them win three matches in a row, laying the foundation for survival. Since then, they earned a draw against Valencia, but suffered defeats to Villarreal and Betis. In the last round, they scored twice against Leganés but still fell short, losing 2-3.
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Barcelona ended last season without a single trophy. That cost Xavi his job, as fans and management couldn't forgive the title drought and the hopeless chase behind Real Madrid. Hansi Flick took over and, with largely the same squad — bolstered only by Dani Olmo and relying on maturing talents like Yamal — managed a complete turnaround. Even without first-choice keeper Ter Stegen for a while, they delivered big results, notably in key games against Real. Those included a dominant Supercopa win and a dramatic, controversial extra-time victory in the Copa del Rey final. In their last league match, they overturned a 0-2 deficit in El Clásico to win convincingly. In the Champions League semifinal, they drew 3-3 at home to Inter after trailing 0-2 and lost in extra time in Milan despite twice leading.
In 2022, the Parakeets held their neighbors to two draws. But since then, Barça have won both encounters. Barça are expected to win, especially with Espanyol showing little fight of late. But their defense is not airtight — both teams to score looks like the best value bet.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score – yes.
