Barcelona vs Espanyol predictions, odds and betting tips

Catalan rivals Barcelona and Espanyol will renew hostilities in La Liga this weekend.

Barcelona vs Espanyol best bets

• Barcelona to win to nil – 5/7 with VBET
• Barcelona to win both halves – 11/13 with VBET
• Raphina to score any time – 13/14 with VBET

Barcelona vs Espanyol odds

Find the latest match odds for Barcelona vs Espanyol. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

FC Barcelona vs Espanyol predictions

Hansi Flick can do no wrong at Barcelona right now. Two results last week aptly demonstrated why Blaugrana fans are beginning to fall in love with their club’s new manager.

First up, Flick oversaw a 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich, his former employers, in the Champions League. It felt like a coming-of-age performance for this Barcelona team in Europe, where the Catalans have not enjoyed much success over the last few years.

Barca somehow bettered that result a few days later. In the first Clasico of the campaign, Flick’s team rocked up at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and won 4-0.

It was a stunning night for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. The latter stuck to their tactical guns, holding a remarkably high defensive line in an attempt to squeeze the pitch as they have done throughout the campaign.

It worked a treat. Kylian Mbappe had a goal disallowed for offside in the first half; across the 90 minutes as a whole, the France international was flagged by the linesman eight times.

half to move six points clear at the summit of the standings. 

That lead may have been cut to three by the time Barcelona take on Espanyol on Sunday. Madrid are scheduled to play the night before, although severe flooding in Valencia has thrown that match into doubt. 

If Madrid’s encounter is indeed postponed, Barcelona would move nine points clear of the Blancos with a win in the Catalan derby. Even at this early stage of proceedings, that would give Barca a big psychological edge over the reigning champions.

It was always going to be intriguing to see how Flick did this term. His appointment felt like a departure from what Barcelona have usually tried to do – namely choosing managers with either a personal or ideological connection to the club. 

Flick is not merely Barcelona’s first German coach since the 1980s. He is also the first non-native Spanish speaker or non-Dutchman since Radomir Antic more than two decades ago. 

Right from the get-go, Flick has made it clear that he will do things his way – and for now at least, Barcelona are reaping the rewards.

Barcelona vs Espanyol betting tips

Barcelona will resume their La Liga title tilt when they face local rivals Espanyol this weekend.

Barcelona to win to nil

Espanyol head into gameweek 12 of the La Liga season just outside the relegation zone, with only one point and one place separating them from 18th.

Survival is the objective for the city of Barcelona’s second club following their promotion from the Segunda Division last time out.

The underlying numbers, namely expected goals, suggest Espanyol have been the second-worst performing side in the league up to now.

That does not bode well for a trip across town to Barcelona, perhaps the toughest assignment in Spanish football at the moment.

Espanyol are not creating a great deal of chances and they will find it doubly difficult to do so against Flick’s charges on Sunday.

Back Barcelona to win to nil at 5/7 with VBET

Barcelona to win both halves

Confidence in the Barcelona camp must be sky-high after those impressive triumphs over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

That can be dangerous. It is Flick’s job to ensure overconfidence does not creep in. Just because Barcelona beat those European giants so comfortably, it does not mean they can take Espanyol for granted.

But if Flick has been successful in guarding against complacency this week, it is hard to look past a comfortable afternoon for the hosts at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Winning both halves is not easy, even when we are talking about a team as good as Barcelona.

Yet given Espanyol’s struggles and Barca’s attacking firepower, Flick’s team can triumph either side of the break.

Tip Barcelona to win both halves at 11/13 with VBET

Raphina to score any time

Every time you watch him play, you can tell that Raphinha is enjoying his football under the guidance of Flick.

The former Leeds United forward is in magnificent form, having scored 10 goals and provided seven assists in La Liga and the Champions League this season.

It is easy to forget that Raphinha was linked with a move away from the Camp Nou over the summer, but he has suddenly become one of the side’s most important players.

When he cuts inside onto his left foot, Raphinha is hard to stop. Yet he is not a one-trick pony, as he has shown in recent weeks.

Espanyol will find it difficult to contain a Barcelona team that is averaging 3.36 goals per league game. An in-form Raphina will be particularly tough to keep under wraps.

Choose Raphinha to score any time at 13/14 with VBET

How to watch Barcelona vs Espanyol

• Location: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain,
• Date and time: Sunday 3rd November, 3.15pm.
• How to watch: Premier Sports 2, LaLigaTV.

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