This Saturday ‘Derbi Barceloni’ will take place, at the famous Camp Nou. The infamous Catalan derby will mark club legend, Xavi’s debut as FC Barcelona manager, at a time where Barça need their man to save them from sinking. Though Barça’s biggest rivals are Real Madrid, where they face off in the legendary, ‘El Clasico,’ Espanyol also come into the equation of Barca’s rivals, and that is mainly due to the fact that they are both Catalan clubs.
Do Barça and Espanyol fans go well with each other?
The obvious answer, is no. As in most derby rivalries, fans don’t see each-other eye to eye. Why? Espanyol fans think that their club is more Catalan than Barça, due to the fact that Espanyol was founded by a Catalan person, while FC Barcelona was founded by Joan Gamper, who was Swiss.
Head to Head record
FC Barcelona are heavily dominant in the ‘Derbi Barceloni’, as they have won 124 times. Whereas Espanyol have won 44 times, as you can see this derby is dominated by Barça. Since the 2008-09 season, Espanyol has failed to beat Barcelona, as the Blaugrana have won their last thirteen matches, while scoring FOURTY goals, a very good record. The Greatest Player Ever, in my eyes, is also the top scorer in the Catalan Derby scoring 25 goals, while current Barça manager has made the most appearances, with 36 matches under his belt.
Match Predictions?
As mentioned before, Xavi will make his Barça debut as manager in the derby. With an injury ridden Barça side, it will be a difficult task on defeating fellow Catalan neighbours despite them sitting 2 places behind Barça in the La Liga table, at 11th, not to mention the fact that they have been recently promoted from Segunda Division. I predict a 2-0 win, with new gaffer, Xavi winning in his first match.
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