Three talking points as Barcelona face Espanyol in La Liga | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to take on Espanyol in La Liga this weekend as they look to continue their sensational form in the league. Fresh off a 5-1 victory over Sevilla and a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid, the Catalan derby is yet another must-win game for the club.

The game against Espanyol might not be a promising game on paper but the off-field scenarios and the fact that this is one of the most fierce derbies in Spanish football means form becomes irrelevant coming into this game.

Hansi Flick has played his first-choice XI against Sevilla, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich in three successive games. With the exception of the odd player, there haven’t been many rotations and it remains to be seen what he does against Espanyol.

All things considered, we at Barca News Network take a look at three talking points as Hansi Flick’s Barcelona face Espanyol in the Catalan derby in La Liga.

1: Rotations on the cards

Considering the fact that Barcelona has had a one-week break since El Clasico and that Espanyol is as much an important game to win, Hansi Flick is likely to field a strong XI but it will be a huge surprise if there aren’t minor rotations.

Gerard Martin is likely to come in to provide rest to Alejandro Balde at left-back. Two other changes expected in the starting XI are the returns of Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo. The latter should come in for Fermin Lopez in a straight swap.

Hansi Flick needs to make a decision on who among Pedri and Marc Casado to rest, to bring back Frenkie into the XI. Most likely, it is the former who is likely to be provided a rest and a pairing of Casado and Frenkie might also be a joy to watch.

In attack, there aren’t expected to be any rotations against Espnayol. However, the likes of Ansu Fati and Gavi could expect more minutes from the bench, should the team find themselves in a comfortable position in the second half.

2: Robert Pichichi Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski is a man on a mission. He looks in unstoppable goalscoring form at the moment and the next few games should give him more chances to keep scoring goals and make his lead at the top of the Pichichi charts unassailable.

The veteran Pole has turned his form around so far this season. Last season, Lewandowski struggled to finish the chances that were created for him and it took a late resurgence for the 36-year-old to even end with a respectable tally.

However, this season has been a stark contrast from the last. Lewandowski looks solid in front of goal and has finished his chances of clinically for the most part. With 14 goals already in the league this season, he looks set to have a solid run this season.

Thus, if Lewandowski can have a good game against Espanyol, Barcelona is more likely than not to secure the three points against their Catalan rivals. Let’s wait and see how he plays against Manolo González’s side.

3: Can Inaki Pena can solidify his good Clasico performance

There have been a lot of concerns about Inaki Pena as Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper but his performance in the Clasico seems to have dispelled those fears for now. The 25-year-old La Masia graduate had a game to remember at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Hansi Flick has chosen to trust Pena and it reflected on the pitch. It is time now for Pena to consolidate his performance against Madrid and keep building, to nail down his spot in the starting XI for the important games ahead.

Pena looked very assured, both with his feet and covering the space behind the backline against Real Madrid. He will have to do more of the same against Espanyol, in a game that Barcelona are expected to dominate from the outset.

Let’s wait and see if Pena can come up with yet another solid display against Espanyol and further win his place in the Blaugrana hearts. Only time will tell how he performs.