Official: Barcelona starting XI against RCD Espanyol | La Liga | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are now set to face off against RCD Espanyol soon at the Montjuic Stadium. Their local rivals will now be the twelfth opponent that La Blaugrana will be taking on in La Liga this season. Heading into this game, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will be aiming to achieve all three points.

Keeping their lead at the top of the league table is vital, and a win against Espanyol in this local derby would temporarily take Barcelona nine points clear ahead of second-placed Real Madrid until Los Blancos get the opportunity to cut that down to six again once they face Valencia or some other team due to postponements.

For this game, however, Hansi Flick has decided to make a few alterations to his regular starting eleven, as per the starting eleven that has now been revealed by the official Barcelona X account.

In goal, Inaki Pena retains his spot as the starting goalkeeper for Hansi Flick’s side. The Spaniard gave himself a huge boost against Real Madrid in the recent El Clasico victory, and it just goes on to show how crucial confidence can be for a player.

Ahead of him, Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi also return as the starting center-back pairing for Barcelona. Their record has been sensational for the Catalan giants this season and their partnership remains one of Hansi Flick’s most positive revelations this season.

On either side of them, Hector Fort and Alejandro Balde start as the two full-backs. Their combination of offensive and defensive skills will surely be a great help to this Barcelona team while moving forward and in defensive actions as well.

The two starting defensive midfielders are going to be Marc Casado and Pedri. Both Spaniards will be expected to link up play with the forwards while also ensuring consistent ball progression from the back to the front.

Right in front of them, Dani Olmo returns to the starting eleven as the team’s primary attacking midfielder through the middle. On either side of him, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha reprise their roles as two of Barça’s most in-form forwards this season.

Lastly, Robert Lewandowski starts as the team’s focal point in attack after managing to score a brace against Real Madrid in the previous game. His record this season remains immense, and he will definitely be hoping to score even more goals in this fixture.