Hello and welcome to another MARCA in English live blog, this time guiding you through one of the most-anticipated derbies of the 24/25 LaLiga season as Barcelona look to beat Espanyol and clinch the title.
The stage is set at the RCDE Stadium, with Barcelona making a short trip across the city for tonight's game. The Blaugrana lead Real Madrid at the top by four points after Real Madrid salvaged what is left of their slim title hopes with a last-gasp winner in the 2-1 victory over Real Mallorca on Wednesday.
But Hansi Flick's side, currently sitting at the summit with 82 points, know that a win against their city rivals Espanyol will mathematically secure their 28th LaLiga title with two games to go.
Barcelona enters the game with confidence after beating Real Madrid 4-3 in the Clasico last time out. One of the standout performers for Barcelona this campaign has been Lamine Yamal, the teenage sensation who continues to impress in attack. With Ferran Torres sidelined and Robert Lewandowski lacking match fitness, the 18-year-old's creativity and composure in front of goal will be crucial to their chances.
On the other side, Espanyol will be hoping to secure their safety once and for all. The Catalan-based outfit is placed 16th in the league standings and know that a victory would put them eight points clear of the drop with two games to go. A draw would still leave them in a great position heading into the season finale, but Manolo Gonzalez's side has that extra motivation to stop their rivals winning tonight.
Barcelona will be favorites to brush aside their opponents, having won 14 out of their last 15 league fixtures. They haven't lost in 2025 either, proving Flick's men have the mental strength to recover from any setbacks.
Espanyol vs Barcelona LIVE - Latest Updates
Match ends, Espanyol 0, Barcelona 2.
Second Half ends, Espanyol 0, Barcelona 2.
Goal! Espanyol 0, Barcelona 2. Fermín López (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box.
Wojciech Szczesny (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Offside, Espanyol. Edu Expósito is caught offside.
Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Walid Cheddira (Espanyol).
Offside, Espanyol. Walid Cheddira is caught offside.
Fourth official has announced 7 minutes of added time.
Marash Kumbulla (Espanyol) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Fermín López (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Marash Kumbulla (Espanyol).
Attempt missed. Walid Cheddira (Espanyol) right footed shot from the left side of the box.
Attempt saved. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved.
Offside, Espanyol. Walid Cheddira is caught offside.
Walid Cheddira (Espanyol) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Walid Cheddira (Espanyol).
Eric García (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gavi (Barcelona).
Carlos Romero (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Espanyol. Fernando Calero replaces Roberto Fernández.
Substitution, Espanyol. Walid Cheddira replaces Javi Puado.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match (Barcelona).
Leandro Cabrera (Espanyol) is shown the red card for violent conduct.
VAR Decision: Card upgraded Leandro Cabrera (Espanyol).
Substitution, Barcelona. Gavi replaces Dani Olmo.
Substitution, Barcelona. Héctor Fort replaces Andreas Christensen.
Attempt missed. Jofre Carreras (Espanyol) left footed shot from the centre of the box.
Foul by Eric García (Barcelona).
Carlos Romero (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Espanyol. Roberto Fernández is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Leandro Cabrera (Espanyol) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Edu Expósito with a cross.
Corner, Espanyol. Conceded by Eric García.
Attempt blocked. Carlos Romero (Espanyol) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Marash Kumbulla (Espanyol) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Edu Expósito with a cross.
Corner, Espanyol. Conceded by Andreas Christensen.
Substitution, Espanyol. Jofre Carreras replaces Antoniu Roca.
Substitution, Barcelona. Fermín López replaces Robert Lewandowski.
Foul by Dani Olmo (Barcelona).
Edu Expósito (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Javi Puado (Espanyol) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Substitution, Espanyol. Pere Milla replaces Pol Lozano.
Foul by Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona).
Roberto Fernández (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona).
Antoniu Roca (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt blocked. Dani Olmo (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Raphinha.
Goal! Espanyol 0, Barcelona 1. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box.
Substitution, Barcelona. Pau Cubarsí replaces Ronald Araujo because of an injury.
Attempt blocked. Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Edu Expósito.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Carlos Romero.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Carlos Romero (Espanyol).
Second Half begins Espanyol 0, Barcelona 0.
Substitution, Barcelona. Alejandro Balde replaces Gerard Martín.
First Half ends, Espanyol 0, Barcelona 0.
Attempt blocked. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Fourth official has announced 2 minutes of added time.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Carlos Romero.
Attempt missed. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box.
Andreas Christensen (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Andreas Christensen (Barcelona).
Roberto Fernández (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt blocked. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Dani Olmo.
Foul by Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona).
Edu Expósito (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box following a fast break.
Foul by Andreas Christensen (Barcelona).
Attempt missed. Pedri (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box.
Foul by Pol Lozano (Espanyol).
Dani Olmo (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match (Barcelona).
Gerard Martín (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Antoniu Roca (Espanyol).
Attempt saved. Raphinha (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Andreas Christensen.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Carlos Romero (Espanyol).
Corner, Espanyol. Conceded by Wojciech Szczesny.
Attempt saved. Javi Puado (Espanyol) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Edu Expósito with a through ball.
Attempt missed. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Javi Puado (Espanyol) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Edu Expósito with a cross following a set piece situation.
Foul by Gerard Martín (Barcelona).
Antoniu Roca (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match (Barcelona).
A video has emerged of the horrific scenes outside the stadium where a driver appeared to intentionally drive into a crowd of people, with 'several' believed to be injured.
Offside, Espanyol. Omar El Hilali is caught offside.
Offside, Espanyol. Omar El Hilali is caught offside.
Foul by Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona).
Antoniu Roca (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Urko González (Espanyol) right footed shot from the centre of the box.
BREAKING: Unconfirmed reports suggest several people have been injured in a car accident outside Espanyol stadium. There are very few details other than that, but as soon we as know more, we'll bring it to you.
First Half begins.
Barcelona XI: Szczesny, Eric García, Araujo, Christensen, Gerard Martín, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski.
Espanyol XI: Joan García, El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Carlos Romero, Urko, Pol Lozano, Roca, Edu Expósito, Puado, Roberto Fernández.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Espanyol vs Barcelona Team News
Espanyol are still without defender Brian Olivan, who remains sidelined with a calf injury. Pol Lozano returns to contention after missing the last match with a quad issue, and Omar El Hilali is available again after suspension. Javi Puado, the team's top scorer with 11 goals, will lead the attack.
For Barcelona, several key names are missing. Marc Bernal and Ferran Torres are long-term absentees, while Jules Kounde and Pablo Torre are also expected to miss out. Inigo Martinez is suspended, paving the way for Andreas Christensen to partner Eric Garcia in defense. Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski are both expected to start after substitute roles in El Clasico
Espanyol possible starting XI: Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Exposito, Gonzalez, Lozano; Jofre, Puado, Roberto
Barcelona possible starting XI: Szczesny; Garcia, Christensen, Cubarsi, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
When is Espanyol vs Barcelona?
Kick-off for Espanyol vs Barcelona is 21:30 CEST. That means fans in the UK and Ireland can tune in to watch at 20:30.
Fans in the USA, meanwhile, will find Espanyol vs Barcelona starting at 15:30 Eastern Time (ET) / 12:30 Pacific Time (PT).
Where to watch Espanyol vs Barcelona?
For fans in the United Kingdom, Espanyol vs Barcelona will be shown on free-to-air television as broadcaster ITV4 will be airing this evening's big match live. Alternatively, you can tune in to Premier Sports 1 with streaming on LaLigaTV.
US-based fans will be able to see Espanyol vs Barcelona which has live English and Spanish-language broadcast rights for LaLiga in the US.
BARCELONA WIN LALIGA!