Barcelona take on Espanyol in the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter final clash this week, with the Spanish giants hoping to overturn a narrow loss from the reverse fixture. Espanyol surprised everyone by scoring a late winner in front of their home fans, however with their opponents sitting comfortably at the top of the La Liga standings, they still face an almighty task in reaching the last four of the competition.
Copa del Rey – Barcelona v Espanyol – Camp Nou, Barcelona – Thursday 25th January 2018 – 20:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 9 at Unibet |
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FC Barcelona
EspanyolMatch Preview
Barcelona take on city rivals Espanyol in the Copa del Rey on Thursday evening, with the duo both harbouring realistic hopes of making it through to the semi-finals of the competition. The home side go into the clash as the reigning champions, while a win for the visitors would undoubtedly be one of the biggest shocks of the season so far in Spain. For those still unsure of who to back later this week, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with Barcelona.
Barcelona Team News & Form
Barcelona extended their unbeaten record in La Liga so far this season with a superb 5-0 away win over Celta Vigo, meaning that Ernesto Valverde’s side now sit 11 points clear of their closest rival in the La Liga standings. The likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have been in fine form over recent weeks, with the home side being likely to name a strong starting eleven due to their deficit from the first leg against Espanyol. Meanwhile, record signing Ousmane Dembele is likely to play following his return from injury.
Espanyol Team News & Form
Espanyol come into the match off the back of a disappointing 3-0 home defeat against Sevilla, however this was their first defeat in five outings. Manager Quique Sánchez Flores has led his side to just six wins in the top-flight this season, however their performances in the Copa del Rey mean that they are not to be underestimated on Thursday evening. Oscar Melendo scored the late winner when the two teams met just a week ago, with the likes of Léo Baptistão and Javi Fuego also likely to feature once more.
Head to Head
The two teams have 35 times in the past, with Barcelona having won on 24 of such matches, whilst drawing eight times in the process. Before their defeat last week, Barcelona took six points from Espanyol last season also, following up a 3-0 win on the road with a crushing 5-0 success at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona v Espanyol – Betting Odds and Predictions
Barcelona are unsurprisingly the favourites for victory with all major bookmakers based on their impressive start to the campaign and their status as the home team, with Ladbrokes offering the home side odds of 1/10 . However, those looking to back a surprise away win for Espanyol can take advantage of odds of 20 with Skybet.
Top Betting Tip Barcelona v Espanyol
However, our top betting tip for the match is to simply bet on there being over 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes this week, which can be found at odds of 2/7 with William Hill.