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Barcelona visit their local rivals Espanyol in La Liga after beating bitter foes Real Madrid at the weekend.
Tonight, Thursday, May 15, 2025, Barcelona face their local rivals Espanyol with the opportunity to clinch the La Liga title and complete a domestic treble.
Having closely monitored Real Madrid’s match against Mallorca on Wednesday, Barcelona will know exactly what is required to secure their 28th La Liga triumph at the RCDE Stadium. Achieving this would mark an exceptional debut season for their manager, Hansi Flick.
Barcelona virtually sealed the league title last weekend with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Real Madrid in El Clásico. Despite a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé, a remarkable first-half comeback secured a crucial win, giving them a seven-point lead heading into the midweek fixtures.
For Espanyol, who are in a relatively comfortable position to avoid relegation but haven’t mathematically secured their La Liga status for next season, any points against the league leaders would be a significant and unexpected boost.
Barcelona will be without their first-choice right-back Jules Koundé due to a foot injury. He joins Pablo Torre and long-term absentee Marc Bernal on the sidelines. Marc Casadó returned to the bench in El Clásico after being out since mid-March, and Alejandro Balde made his comeback as a substitute. However, star striker Robert Lewandowski was an unused substitute in the derby as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Additionally, defender Iñigo Martínez is suspended for this match after receiving his fifth yellow card of the La Liga season last weekend.
Here is the predicted lineup for Barcelona against Espanyol:
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Espanyol (4-2-3-1):
- Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczęsny
- Defenders: Eric García, Ronald Araújo, Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Balde
- Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Pedri , Dani Olmo
- Attacking: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha
- Striker: Ferran Torres
Prediction: Espanyol 1–3 Barcelona
Based on their strong form and Espanyol’s potential vulnerability, Barcelona are the clear favorites to secure the victory needed to lift the La Liga trophy tonight.