Espanyol vs Barcelona Prediction – 03.01.2026

It’s always exciting when it’s time for the big football derby of Catalunya. On January 3, Espanyol will host Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in the capital of Catalunya, and one thing is for sure – it’s going to be a “hot” one.

Los Pericos approach the derby in brilliant form as they enjoy a run of five consecutive wins in La Liga. This allowed Espanyol to climb to 5th place in the standings – just two points behind the 4th Villarreal.

At the same time, Barcelona are leaders in La Liga with 46 points – four points ahead of Real Madrid. Just like Espanyol, Barca won their last five matches in the league.

Espanyol vs Barcelona Tips

• X2;
• Both Teams to Score;

Espanyol Preview and News

Espanyol’s manager, Manolo Gonzalez, deserves a lot of praise for what he’s doing with the team. Los Pericos are much better compared to the 2024/25 season, despite losing their star goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, to Barca. Now Espanyol are playing with a lot of confidence, which helps them win so many games lately.

In their last match, the Catalans had a tough visit to Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames Barria, but managed to go home with a prestigious 2-1 win. Athletic opened the score, but Espanyol turned it around with goals from Romero and Milla.

Espanyol’s fans are getting ready to welcome their former idol Joan Garcia as a traitor at the RCDE Stadium. The goalkeeper will be booed every time he touches the ball. It remains to be seen if this is going to affect his performance.

Barcelona Preview and News

Barcelona’s manager, Hansi Flick, has some decisions to make regarding his defence against Espanyol. One of the club’s captains, Ronald Araujo, is back in action, but most likely he will start from the bench. This means that Gerard Martin or Eric Garcia shall start alongside Pau Cubarsi in the heart of the defence.

Everything else looks clear for Barca. Flick will have to choose between Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres upfront, while Raphinha and Lamine Yamal will occupy the wings. Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are expected to lead the midfield once again.

Raphinha will be one of Barcelona’s main weapons against Espanyol. The Brazilian international is reaching top form again after a spell outside the pitch. He’s scoring a lot lately, and Flick is happy to have him back in the squad.

Head-to-Head Matches

As expected, Barcelona have the head-to-head advantage against Espanyol – 128 wins in 218 matches. Los Pericos have won 36 of the games, while there are 41 draws as well.

Espanyol vs Barcelona Betting Preview

It’d be naive to say that we expect an easy Barcelona win here. On the contrary, Espanyol are enjoying a run of five consecutive wins in the league. Plus, they have the home advantage. It’s going to be a very tough one for Barca. Let’s see how they will do.