Barcelona’s away game at neighboring Estadi Cornellà-El Prat tonight is one of the many battles that need to be won to ensure a realistic chance of winning La Liga this season. After Real Madrid dismantled Granada with a 5-1 win yesterday, the capital side now leads the La Liga table by six points with one more game played. But judging by the good performance in midweek’s Copa del Rey, cules should have every reason to be optimistic for tonight’s match.

After playing the 3-4-3 formation sporadically for about six months, the squad finally seems to grasp more than an adequate understanding of the formation. It is clear that there is less confusion and more cohesion as seen in the game against Osasuna, and this is very encouraging as Barcelona needed this multifaceted formation badly while tackling some of the trickier games in the rest of the season.

Tonight’s derby game against Pochettino’s men might be one of the tricky games as Barcelona will play 3 games in a week. Our next game is the second, away leg of the Copa del Rey match. With a 4-0 advantage, it is best if the rotation is implemented in that game rather than tonight. Barcelona need to field their best eleven to ensure victory against the Blanquiblaus. So, the question is who would feature for the game tonight?

Pep will most likely use another 3-4-3 against Espanyol, as Espanyol’s best winger Juan Albin won’t be available as he’s still recovering from the surgery he underwent in September. Espanyol will probably employ a 4-2-3-1 formation that will play deep and soak the pressure from Barcelona. So a 3-4-3 formation will work wonders as Alves can roam forward with Messi and Alexis. With Pedro still struggling to regain his form and Cuenca a little tired after playing Osasuna midweek, it might be best to play Alves instead any of the two.

In the midfield, Xavi, Busquets, and Cesc are definite starters. Cesc is very much in form after scoring two goals recently that brought his tally to 13 goals from 26 attempts on goal, a very impressive statistic considering he just came some six months ago. So that leaves Thiago, Adriano, and Keita as the fourth midfielder that Pep can deploy. Probably Thiago will get the nod after a disciplined display on Wednesday. Thiago’s improvement this season is truly remarkable; he has played in almost every position except for centre-back and has done considerably well every time. His decision-making has improved as he learns how to keep possession and still pose a big threat with the ball.

In the defense, Mascherano, Pique, and Abidal are expected to start to rest Puyol. Our captain needs the rest in order to ensure he is fit for the most important matches of the season. Mascherano will show his maturing abilities as a central defender and he will be itching to play after sitting on the bench for the last couple of games.

Espanyol is low on confidence coming into this match after losing against Cordoba midweek, but they should be proud that their last loss in the league was on December 5 against Valencia. They currently stand 8th in the table so Barcelona shouldn’t be complacent  here. Espanyol has been crippled with injuries to their key players but they remain a competitive side. Barcelona should expect the usual flaring tempers from Espanyol, but hopefully there won’t be any injuries sustained after the match.

Team News

FC Barcelona

Villa and Afellay are still unavilable because of their long-term injuries, but Iniesta and Valdes are available with the latter recovering from a bout of flu. Alexis Sanchez was given a substitute role during midweek to regain his match fitness, so he should start tonight.

Predicted Starting XI: Valdes – Pique – Mascherano – Abidal – Thiago – Busquets – Xavi – Fabregas – Alves – Messi – Alexis

Espanyol

Walter Pandiani will start from the bench after some muscle discomfort meanwhile Kameni has also trained but is not expected to start right away for Espanyol. Juan Albin and Javi Lopez are still out until next week. So, Espanyol will have to be content with a makeshift right back.

Predicted Starting XI: Alvarez – Forlin – Amat – H. Moreno – Didac – Baena – J. Marquez – Weiss – Verdu – Romaric – Alvaro

Match Prediction

The match will not be easy as Espanyol is playing at home. Although last season we managed to dismantle them 5-1, this time the team needs to take it slow and be careful not to give way to frustrations when Espanyol defend with many bodies. One thing Barcelona can expect is that the defense coordination will not be the same as Kameni is still injured. Messi’s last goal against Espanyol was from a penalty spot in September 27, 2008 so let’s hope Messi can help carry the team forward by scoring at least a goal tonight.

RCD Espanyol 1 – 3 FC Barcelona

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