Barcelona to make several alterations for Catalan derby showdown against Espanyol | OneFootball

Barcelona are experiencing very good times at the moment. Saturday’s 4-0 demolition in El Clasico means that they are now six points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga – it’s also five wins in a row across all competitions, and they hope to make it six in another derby this coming weekend.

Espanyol visit the Estadi Olimpic on Saturday for the Barcelona derby, and according to Sport, Hansi Flick intends to make several alterations to his side, which will allow those short of minutes to get some action.

As per the report, Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo will both start against Espanyol, with the expectation being that Pedri or Marc Casado (for de Jong) and Raphinha or Lamine Yamal (for Olmo) will be given an opportunity to rest. Furthermore, there will also be chances for Gerard Martin to earn another start in place of Alejandro Balde.

Despite the fact that changes are inevitable, one player that won’t start is Gavi. Barcelona intend to take things really slow with the 20-year-old after 11 months out, although he could still get a longer cameo against Espanyol.