After an epic victory in the final El Clásico of the season to take a decisive step towards winning La Liga, Barcelona have a chance to mathematically clinch the title when they face city rivals Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium.
Barça can actually win the league without even playing if Real Madrid fail to beat Mallorca at home on Wednesday, but if Los Blancos get all three points the Blaugrana will have to win the Derby to guarantee the championship with two games to spare.
This exact scenario took place two years ago, and Barça dominated Espanyol and got to celebrate the title on their rivals’ pitch for a couple of minutes before being chased off the field by some of the home fans, and they’ll be hoping to do so once again but without the ugly post-match scenes this time.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Thursday’s battle.
Defense
FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Flick’s team selection on Thursday is contingent on what happens on Wednesday: if Madrid do beat Mallorca then the coach will go with his strongest possible side, but if Los Blancos drop points and the title is officially secured, there’s a good chance Hansi will rotate his squad to rest his starters after a brutal, long season.
Real Madrid and Mallorca haven’t played yet as of this writing, so we’re going to assume that Madrid get the win and Barça have to beat Espanyol to clinch the title. That would mean the strongest possible XI, with Wojciech Szczesny in goal, Eric García at right-back, Pau Cubarsí at center-back after recovering from a stomach bug and the likely return of Alejandro Balde at left-back after looking fully fit in his comeback from injury in El Clásico.
The big question is who replaces the suspended Iñigo Martínez alongside Cubarsí in the middle, and we think that will be Andreas Christensen after his fantastic performance as a second half substitute on Sunday that seems to have put him ahead of Ronald Araujo in Flick’s pecking order.
Midfield
FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
The midfield trio could see a change on Thursday even if there are no rotations, with Fermín López possibly starting in place of Dani Olmo given his excellent current form as a starter or substitute. Frenkie de Jong and Pedri will start if the team needs to win, with Gavi likely to come off the bench and Marc Casadó possibly playing some second half minutes on his return from injury.
Attack
FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Barça’s front three of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Raphinha was sublime in El Clásico, and they’ll be ready to play a decisive role again if required to win the game in Cornellà. Robert Lewandowski has a small chance to start, but we think Ferran is most likely to retain his spot up front after a brilliant performance on Sunday.
Possible XI: Szczesny; Eric, Christensen, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Ferran (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Espanyol? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!