Venue: Nou Camp, Barcelona
Date: 06/01/2016
Kick-off: 7:30 PM GMT / 02:15 PM EST
Television coverage: LaLiga TVCOPA (UK); beIN Sports en Español, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A.
Online Streaming: fuboTV (USA), Sky Go (UK)
Match
Barcelona News
Barcelona only managed a 0-0 draw upon their return to the La Liga in the Catalan derby against Espanyol last weekend and the result means that Blaugrana’s lead at the top of the table has been further reduced.
The dropped points would most certainly have been very disappointing for manager Luis Enrique but his side will be awarded the opportunity to exact instant revenge as Espanyol now travel to the Camp Nou for the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Copa Del Rey.
Injury Doubts: Sergi Roberto, Rafinha
Barcelona Probable Lineup: Ter Stegen; Vidal, Vermaelen, Mathieu, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Turan; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
Espanyol News
Espanyol put in a herculean effort to hold Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the Power8 Stadium last weekend and manager Constantin Galca was certainly left pleased with his side’s display during the clash.
Now Espanyol once again prepare to face Barcelona just a few days later in the Copa Del Rey and with Galca’s men now having to travel to the Camp Nou, one can be sure that claiming another good result will be a completely different kettle of fish.
Injury Doubts Víctor Sánchez, Arbilla, Cañas
Espanyol Probable Lineup: Pau Lopez; Javi Lopez, Roco, Alvarez, Gonzalez; Diop, Jordan, Asensio, Caicedo, Perez, Burgui
Prediction
Despite Barcelona’s setback against Espanyol recently, they still hold a dominant record over their local rivals and should go into the clash on Wednesday night as favourites – especially given their home advantage.
Espanyol will be heading into the clash with a lot of confidence after their exploits on Saturday but one can expect a comfortable victory for Barcelona this time around.
Barcelona 2 – 0 Espanyol
