Espanyol host Barcelona in Catalan derby

Espanyol may be in a poor run of form, but they will make life tough for their city rivals Barcelona on Saturday.

Barcelona currently top the league standings after 14 games, on 28 points, but Espanyol are only seven points behind in eighth place, which highlights how competitive the league has been this season.

Espanyol’s three-game losing run may be disappointing for fans, but Rubi has certainly exceeded expectations given they were one of the relegation favorites at the start of the season. The loss to fellow Catalonian side Girona was the only time they’ve dropped points at home this season, so they’re a formidable foe in their home surroundings.

Barcelona’s main issue this season has been the defense — due to a mix of individual errors and systemic problems. Their possession-based philosophy focuses on keeping hold of the ball high up the pitch in order to control the game and keep the opposition penned in. However, this naturally requires most of the team to play high up the pitch and that can leave space on the wings for the opposition to exploit while the work-rate of the midfield has also been questioned this season.

The early-season success of Espanyol was built on a solid defensive platform, but that seems to have come undone as of late with eight goals conceded in the last three games. This match comes at the perfect time for Barcelona, who have the attacking firepower to cut through any team, so they’ll be perfectly prepared to take advantage of any defensive weakness.

Last season, the two sides played each other four times due to a meeting in the Copa del Rey, with Barca victorious twice and Espanyol once, although they ultimately lost on aggregate in the cup. Espanyol were unbeaten at home in those matches, though.

Barcelona use their traditional 4-3-3 formation after Ernesto Valverde opted to switch from the 4-4-2 he had used last season due to weaknesses within the squad which required them to have more solidity in midfield. There have been defensive issues due to this switch, but it has unleashed the attack and helped reduce the reliance on Lionel Messi.

Under Rubi, Espanyol have alternated between 4-5-1, 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 systems — depending on the opposition — providing them with the flexibility to press high as well as sit in a low block and absorb pressure when needed. They’re likely to utilize a 4-5-1 formation and press high when possible to test the Barcelona defenders and try to force mistakes from which they can regain possession.

Valverde will be without a number of players for this match due to injury: Sergi Roberto, Rafinha, Malcom and Samuel Umtiti. Luis Suarez and Arthur Melo are back in training while Arturo Vidal is an uncertainty due to missing the Cultural Leonesa match through illness. Barcelona’s depth means that isn’t too much of an issue. The absence of Suarez has led to Messi playing centrally which suits him because he receives the ball in more dangerous areas and Ousmane Dembele has the license to roam from the right flank.

Espanyol have been a lot more fortunate with injuries because they only have Naldo and Sergio Garcia out currently, so they effectively have their strongest XI available.

Rubi will be hoping that Borja Iglesias can continue his fine form with eight goals in 14 league appearances after joining the club in the summer. Gerard Pique put in a top performance against Villarreal so he will be aiming to maintain that level by keeping Iglesias quiet in this match. Messi is the key factor in this match, though, so the Espanyol defense and central midfield will be geared toward denying him space in the central areas. This should open up gaps for Dembele and Philippe Coutinho to exploit, assuming Suarez isn’t used.

Espanyol’s main chance of success will come down the wings where there should be space to exploit behind the full-backs or at least behind Jordi Alba. This may require Iglesias to work the channels in order to give the rest of the team chance to catch up, but this is the best way to get out of the sustained periods of pressure from Barcelona and catch them in defensive transition where they are at their weakest.