La Liga leaders Barcelona have the chance to move nine points clear of Real Madrid this weekend with victory in the Catalan derby against city rivals Espanyol.
After thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 away last weekend Hansi Flick’s side are flying high on confidence and can build a huge lead over their arch-rivals. Madrid’s game at Valencia has been postponed after deadly flooding in the region, along with nearby Villarreal’s game against Rayo Vallecano.
The derby offers Barcelona a chance to flex their muscles in front of their home fans after romping past the champions at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend. Barca thrashed Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League before that and Flick, who arrived this summer to replace Xavi Hernandez at the helm, said the key to his team’s form is the good atmosphere at the club.
“When I started with my team, and all the experts, and (sporting director) Deco and the president (Joan Laporta), we said we have to build an atmosphere where the players can show their best performance,” explained the coach after thrashing Madrid. “The atmosphere is really good and the mentality in the team is really outstanding.”
Barcelona have won 10 matches in La Liga and lost just once in their first 11 games, as well as inflicting Madrid’s first defeat in the Spanish top flight in over a year. Flick believes his team are “in a (state of) flow” and that appears evident on the pitch with veteran striker Robert Lewandowski in sensational form up front, flanked by teenage star Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the form of his career.
Only two teams have conceded more than Espanyol in La Liga and their visit to the Olympic stadium offers Barcelona a chance to keep adding to their table-topping tally of 37 goals scored. Lewandowski, 36, struck twice in the Clasico and has 14 league goals. The forward looks back to his best after struggling to make an impact last season.
Flick operates with a high defensive line which appears risky at times but helped them defeat both Bayern and Spanish and European champions Madrid. “We keep going with our idea, we have a flow at the moment and we have to keep going,” said Flick. “(The strategy) looks dangerous, but it’s not dangerous.”
Espanyol, 17th, usually relish the chance to cause trouble for their city rivals but Barcelona’s ruthless form makes this derby an especially daunting challenge. Former Espanyol president Joan Collet, who led the club between 2012 and 2016, was especially pessimistic.
“Unfortunately I see very little chance of winning, I will not think about or watch the match,” he told Radio Despi. “I will disappear off the map, I will turn off my phone and when it’s over I will see what happened. It’s not that I have no hope, it’s that they’ve taken all my hope away.”
Elsewhere Atletico Madrid, fourth, will look to arrest their recent slump at home against lowly Las Palmas, who are 18th.
