Barcelona will secure the league title if they beat rivals Espanyol in the Catalan derby

Barcelona will secure the La Liga title if they beat rivals Espanyol in the Catalan derby at the RCDE Stadium on Thursday night.

This comes after they beat closest challengers Real Madrid 4-3 at home last time out, giving them a seven-point buffer with just three games to play. That was Barcelona’s fifth straight league win, and they remain unbeaten in La Liga since December.

Espanyol are not safe from relegation just yet as they sit five points above the relegation zone in 14th. A 3-2 loss at Leganes last time out was their third in a row, which does not bode well for them as they bid to stop their rivals winning the title in their own stadium just like two years ago.

Barcelona have also won the previous two H2Hs, and are unbeaten in the last 11 meetings in all competitions. In fact, the last time Espanyol beat Barcelona in La Liga was in 2009, and their last home league victory over their rivals was in 2007!

Dani Olmo scored a brace as Barcelona ran out 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture in November. Raphinha was also on the scoresheet, while Javi Puado grabbed a consolation goal for the visitors.

Espanyol have no fresh concerns, as Pol Lozano is likely to miss out again with fitness issues. However, Omar El Hilal is now available for selection and could start.

Inigo Martinez is suspended for Barcelona, but Alejandro Balde should return to the starting line-up. In-form Ferran Torres could keep his place ahead of Robert Lewandowski.

Espanyol: Garcia, El Hilal, Cabrera, Kumbulla, Romero, Gonzalez, Kral, Exposito, Puado, Fernandez, Jofre.

Barcelona: Szczesny, Garcia, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde, De Jong, Pedri, Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Torres.