Coming back from the most entertaining World Cup in Qatar, La Liga will once again host one of the most entertaining derbies – Catalunya derby between Barcelona and Espanyol. First Place Barcelona will host Espanyol at Camp Nou at the very last day of this year.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction One – Barcelona to Win – 1.23.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction Two – Both teams to score – No – 1.87.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction Three -Total Goals Over 1.5 – 1.15
Match Predict – Barcelona to Win
Before the World Cup break, Barcelona had the chance to dominate the La Liga and opening a gap of 2 points against Real Madrid. A derby is a different situation but Barcelona will do their impossible not to lose their lead in the table by grabbing the three vital points.
Both teams to score – No
Considering the statistics and the meetings both teams had previously in all Spanish competition, out of the total 30 matches, only 10 of the games have ended up with both teams scoring in the game as we expect the scenario not to be repeated.
Total Goals Over 1.5
Numbers and statistics are the most important tools for predictive analysis. As mentioned above, in the previous 30 games, 73% of the games have ended up with at least 2 goals in the game(22/30). We are certain to watch at least two goals in the game.
Barcelona:
Before the World Cup in a week, Real Madrid were the leaders in the La Liga while their players lost their focus and shifted to their World Cup schedules by losing very important points in La Liga.on the other hand, despite their exit from the Champions League and their loss in the El Classico, Barcelona players remained focused as they took the advantage and won as many games to be the number one in the standings. In the 14 games played, Barcelona players have scored a total of 33 goals and conceded only 5.
Espanyol:
On the other hand, Espanyol, failed to grab a single win in their last 5 La Liga games as the latest came against Real Valladolid in October. In their last 2 games, they won against CD Runcon followed by a win against CD Atletico Paso in the Copa Del Rey. playing against Barcelona means everything for Espanyola s they consider and value this derby highly. No matter their standings, as Espanyol stand a the 16th position, not too far away from the relegation zone, Espanyol will keep on their fight against Barcelona in their next game.
Safe Bets
Considering the statistics of both teams and La Liga, in 14 games played, Barcelona has averaged a total of 7.43 corners per game while Espanyol has an average of also 2.57 as we expect a total corners of at least 9 in the game.
Get Rich Quick
After a difficult battle for ninety minutes, we might witness a draw result with both teams taking the valuable point and change their position in the table with odds of 6.5 from 22Bet.
At the re-start of the Spanish League, Barcelona will miss World Cup star, Lewandowski due to his suspension. On the other hand, Espanyol will miss Pedrosa with a hernia and Gomez with a suspension.
Starting Lineups
In our opinion, the teams will take to the field with the following line-ups:
Barcelona: Goalkeeper – Ter-Stegan; Defenders: Bellerin, Christense, Alonso, Balde; Midfielders: Pedri, De Jong, Gavi; Forwards – Fati, Torres, Raphinha
Espanyol: Goalkeeper – Garcia; Defenders -Gil, Cabrera, Keddari, Olivan; Midfielders; Ribaudo, Bare, Calero, Lazo; Forwards – Joselu, Puado.
This match will be played at Spotify Camp Nou (Barcelona)
This starting whistle will sound on December 31th, 2022. 18:00 UTC.
More to follow