Espanyol host Spanish giants Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter final clash on Wednesday evening, with the home side hoping to give themselves an opportunity to cause what would be a major shock. However, the visitors are the undoubted favourites for victory, with Ernesto Valverde’s side currently sitting nine points clear at the top of the La Liga standings.
Spanish La Liga – Espanyol v Barcelona, RCDE Stadium, Barcelona – Wednesday 17th January – 20:00 UK Time
|
Draw Best Odd of: 4 at Ladbrokes |
|
Espanyol
FC BarcelonaMatch Preview
La Liga duo Espanyol and Barcelona go head-to-head in the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey this week, with many predicting an entertaining clash despite their differing performances so far in the Spanish top-flight this season. Managers Quique Sánchez Flores and Ernesto Valverde will be looking to gain a tactical advantage for their team, however players such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez make the visitors the firm favourite for victory. For those interested in placing a bet on the match, be sure to check out our top tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with Espanyol.
Espanyol Team News & Form
Espanyol come into the match off the back of a 1-1 home draw with Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, a result which stretched their unbeaten run to four matches. As well as this, the Barcelona-based club recorded an impressive 2-0 win away at Levante to reach this stage of the Copa del Rey. Having rejected the advances of Premier League side Stoke City, manager Quique Sanches Flores will be looking to earn his place an unlikely place in the semi-finals, with the likes of veteran striker Sergio Garcia, Leo Baptista and Gerard Moreno among the biggest threats for the home side.
Barcelona Team News & Form
Barcelona extended their unbeaten record in La Liga so far this season with a superb 4-2 comeback win away at Real Sociedad, with Valverde’s men now sitting nine points clear at the top of the table. Meanwhile, the Spanish giants recorded a 5-0 win over Celta Vigo to earn a 6-1 victory in the Round of 16, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Denis Suarez and Aleix Vidal hoping to consolidate their place in the starting line-up for the visiting team. Elsewhere, Paco Alcacer should lead the line for Barcelona.
Head to Head
The two teams have 34 times in the past, with Barcelona having won on 24 of such matches, whilst drawing eight times in the process. 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.
Espanyol v Barcelona – Betting Odds and Predictions
Barcelona are unsurprisingly the favourites for victory with all major bookmakers based on their impressive start to the campaign and performances in this competition to date, with Skybet offering the visitors appealing odds of 3/10 to register a first leg lead. However, those looking to back a home victory for Espanyol can take advantage of odds of 9/1 at Coral.
Top Betting Tip Espanyol v Barcelona
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 4/7 with William Hill.