Barcelona vs Espanyol Prediction & Betting Tips - LaLiga

Prediction published on 05/07/2020, 22:46  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 05/07/2020 at 22:49 in LaLiga Predictions

Barcelona kept up the chase for the La Liga title with a win over Villarreal and will be seeking three more points when they welcome Espanyol in the Catalan Derby on Wednesday. The two sides are fighting different battles as they go to this game; Barcelona are second in the standings on 73 points while Espanyol are bottom with 24 points. After a slump that saw them register two straight draws, Barcelona are back to winning ways. They had a shaky opening against Villarreal but did well to go to the break leading comfortably before finishing off their hosts. The 4-1 win saw them keep up with Real Madrid, who are four points ahead and they will be looking to carry the same form against Espanyol who haven’t had a good season. The two sides drew 2-2 in the reverse fixture but generally Barcelona have been the superior of the two in earlier meetings. Ahead of this clash, Barcelona are unbeaten in eight matches, five of those being wins and they have scored in seven. In the past three matches, Barcelona have scored at least two goals and they head here unbeaten at home this season - 21 matches. They have also kept clean sheets in four of the last five matches at home. In 17 La Liga home matches, Barcelona have won 15 and drawn two; they only failed to score against Real Madrid, which was one of the two draws, the other being against Atletico Madrid (2-2).

On the other hand, Espanyol have been the weakest side in the league this season. They have managed just five wins all season and have only scored more than Leganes, who are their compatriots in the relegation battle. Espanyol have conceded 54 goals so far, which makes them the third poorest defence in the league and it doesn’t look good for them with five straight losses heading to this game. For Espanyol the freefall has been all season, and will be officially relegated if they lose this game. The loss to Leganes in their last match was a big blow to their survival chances but coming from a string of losses earlier, it was well expected. For a team that played in Europa League this season, they have really dropped and we don’t expect that they will trouble Barcelona here. They started on a high as football returned from the break, with a win over Alaves but from there it has been a downward curve. Espanyol have failed to score in four of their last six matches, not that they have been good in attack all season anyway. Their lead scorers have four goals, and one of them is a defender. The team has not won any of their last nine away matches, only drawing two, and in the 17 away league games, they have managed just three wins, while 10 have ended in losses.