The Barcelona derby

Before football starts the new year, an exciting La Liga duel between the two city rivals from Barcelona awaits football fans on Saturday, December 31st. For favorites FC Barcelona , ​​this game marks their first since the World Cup break and the first sign of where the rest of the season is headed. In recent years, this encounter always promised exciting moments and some furore, which can be expected again this year.
The initial situation before the 15th matchday is completely different for the two teams. RCD Espanyol Barcelona are currently playing to avoid relegation and meet their city rivals again in La Liga next season. With 12 points from 14 games, they are in 16th place in the table and thus only one point ahead of the relegation places. FC Barcelona starts at the top of the table into the encounter and remains so, even if at least one draw is achieved. Two points ahead of Real Madrid before the break. These are also the only dangerous opponents at the moment. They are already eleven points ahead of third-placed Real Sociedad.

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Barcelona analysis

Things couldn't be better for the Blaugrana, at least in the league. With 12 victories from the 14 completed game days, almost no opponent could resist. Only against arch-rivals Real Madrid did they were defeated by 3-1. Above all, the goal difference makes their opponents wonder and tremble. They conceded just five goals while scoring 33 themselves. Both the top values ​​in the league.

There is a lot at stake for FC Barcelona this season and a good start to the resumed game would be an important step. Having had to make some cuts and sell many of the TV rights due to financial difficulties, another unsuccessful season would be a disaster. Many far-reaching decisions were made to bring big names like Lewandowski, Kounde and Raphina into the team despite the financial problems. Champions League success is already history after being eliminated in the group stage. Now they have to concentrate on the Spanish Cup, the league and the Europa League.

Now that the soccer World Cup is over, it will be interesting to see how the players can integrate back into the team. Not only do they did not provide a player to Argentinian world champion team, but they also have a number of players in the squad who have struggled in Qatar. Not only the Spanish players, who make up the majority of the team, but also stars like Lewandowski, Raphina, De Jong and Co would have been expected to do better. Probably the hardest thing to take in was the defeat of the two French players Koundé and Dembélé in the final. After this, the offensive star Dembélé in particular had to endure a lot of criticism since he was substituted in the 40th minute of the final due to bad actions on the ball and a suffering the penalty for Argentina.

With 33 goals scored in 14 games, they share the rank of the most prolific team with direct opponents Real Madrid. This corresponds to an average of 2.35 goals per game.In particular, the 34-year-old newcomer Robert Lewandowski has been able to deliver the performances that were expected and hoped for from him. In the 19 games he has played for FC Barcelona so far, he has taken 18 shots and provided four additional assists. With 13 goals in La Liga, he is currently the top scorer by five goals. A beacon of hope and a problem child at the same time, Ousmane Dembélé was able to play a surprising season so far. With 12 goals and many conspicuous dribbles, he was able to prove his potential. Only newcomer Raphina, who came from Leeds for almost 60 million euros, is still causing concern.

Espanyol analysis

Unlike their city rivals, Espanyol Barcelona are fighting to avoid the greatest possible disaster. After being relegated in the 19/20 season, they could rise again in the following season as the top of the second Spanish league. Being relegated to the Segunda Division again would not live up to the expectations one sets for oneself. In 16th place in the table with just one point ahead of relegation places 18 and 19, they are in the middle of the fight against the big disappointment.

What is striking about Espanyol Barcelona is that they change coaches more often than most teams. In the past nine years there has not been a manager who has been in charge for more than one season . In the 12/13 and 13/14 seasons, Javier Aguirre was the last coach who stayed in his job for more than a year. If the rest of the season goes similarly as before, it is quite likely that they will start the next season again with a new coach.

With 16 goals scored , they are in the middle of the league. Seven of those 16 goals came from centre-forward Joselu and three from ex-Barcelona player Martin Braithwaite. However , the 22 goals they have conceded so far represent the second-worst value in the league. Only bottom-placed Elche had to concede more with 31 goals. If they don't show a surprisingly good performance in both areas on Saturday, they are likely to go down against city rivals.

For Saturday's match they only have one injury from Espanyol. Midfielder Keidi Bare will be out even longer with a torn ligament in his ankle. In the last game on December 20th they played in a 4-2-3-1 formation and we expect this also for the encounter with FC Barcelona.

Barcelona - Espanyol: What to expect? 

If you look at the direct comparison of the two teams, then it is clear which team is considered the best team in Barcelona. FC Barcelona have won six of their last ten meetings. They drew three times and only once out of the last ten could Espanyol Barcelona assert themselves as winners. That 1-0 win came in the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup in 2018, but then they lost 2-0 in the second leg and were eliminated anyway. All other factors also speak for FC Barcelona. On average, each Blaugrana player has ten times the market value of Espanyol players. 800 million euros meet 91 million and 170 thousand club members meet 23 thousand

We think anything but a win for FC Barcelona is very likely. For a rate of 1.25, however, we do recommend this tip. However, it is a good choice for a combination bet. Due to FC Barcelona's offensive power, we expect a bet over 2.5 goals even without star striker Lewandowski in the line-up. The home fans at the Camp Nou will provide a decent tailwind for the offensive. As a last tip, we recommend a bet Both teams to score no. FC Barcelona have the best defense in Spain and we don't think Espanyol Barcelona's mediocre attack will find success here away at the Camp Nou.

• Barcelona to win at odds of 1.25
• Over 2.5 goals at odds of 1.41
• Both Teams to Score No at odds of 

* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.