For all intents and purposes, yesterday’s thrilling El Clasico win at home was the La Liga title winning celebration. In coming from behind 0-2, to win 4-3, FC Barcelona effectively ended the title winning hopes of their arch-rivals, Real Madrid. Even a draw would not have been enough to keep the visitors in the title chase. Now Barcelona only needs to get one single point to clinch it, and as Ian Darke said during the broadcast yesterday, “which you know they’ll get from the three games remaining.” A trip to Espanyol is up next, so it’s a Barcelona derby to officially claim the prize.
FC Barcelona Team News at Espanyol
So the fiesta may not happen at Barca’s home ground, but at least it could be local!
Alejandro Balde (hamstring) and Marc Casado (knee) were El Clasico doubts but both made the matchday squad, with the former even featuring. So that just leaves Jules Kounde (hamstring) and Marc Bernal (knee) sidelined while Pablo Torre (knee) remains a doubt.
While it was Barca’s arch-rivals who got all the preseason hype, it turns out Real Madrid will win nothing of major significance this season. It’s actually the Catalan club who will win a domestic treble (Spanish Super Cup, Copa Del Rey as well, where they beat Madrid in both finals)
Starting Lineup Prediction at Espanyol
Wojciech Szczesny; Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Gerard Martin; Pedri, Frenkie de Jong; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Ferran Torres
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter