The race for the La Liga title has become extremely interesting with just two round of matches to go. Barcelona lead the table with 85 points, while Atletico Madrid lie second with the same amount of points. Real Madrid are third with 84 points. The equation is simple for Barcelona: Win the last two games of the season, and the title will be held by Lionel Messi and the rest of the players.
Thus, Barcelona are expected to come out all guns blazing when they face Espanyol at the Camp Nou on Sunday. A victory against Espanyol will move them closer to yet another La Liga title. Besides this game being an important one in context of the title, it is a derby as well, which makes matters much more interesting.
"It will be a game like any other match. There will obviously be an extra motivation because it is a derby and it will be an intense game, but reaching our objectives is what really matters. I am not interested in talking about what happened in the previous derbies this season. There is bound to be some tension because it is a derby. But we have to focus on ourselves. I expect a great atmosphere at Camp Nou," Goal.com quoted Barcelona Manager Luis Enrique as saying.
Barcelona will start the game as huge favourites with players such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar as their attacking trio. These stars have it in them to score goals in impossible situations, and win the game for the home side. They have characters like Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano, who never give up, which makes them a formibale team in the La Liga.
After being knocked out of the Champiosn League by Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinal, Barcelona seem to have been hurt, and have thrashed teams in the La Liga, including an 8-0 victory over Deportivo.
Such a scoreline may be hard to repeat, but Enrique wants his players to shine, and defeat Espanyol.
"There is no point in discussing next week's game. We have to focus on winning against Espanyol and then we will see if we are already champions. We could be crowned champions on Sunday and we are the only team with that option," he said.
Espanyol come into this game as a confident unit after defeating Sevilla in their last game.
Their players are aware of the tough task they face while playing Barcelona. This is especially the case with their goalkeeper, Paul Lopez, who will be busy during the game. The goalkeeper said he hopes they get some good result from the game.
"It is a very difficult match. We are playing one of the best teams in the world and these are matches with a lot of nerves and tension. We are playing for many things yet and let's hope we get a good result," Espanyol official website quoted Lopez as saying.
Where to watch live
Barcelona vs Espanyol La Liga game is scheduled for 5 p.m. CET (8.30 p.m. IST, 3 p.m. GMT, 10 a.m. ET) start, with live TV coverage in India on Sony ESPN. Viewers in India can also watch Barcelona vs Espanyol La Liga game via live streaming online on Sony Liv.
Audience in Spain can catch the match Barcelona vs Espanyol La Liga game live on Canal+ Liga and Movistar TV Futbol.
Fans in UK can watch Barcelona vs Espanyol La Liga game live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports HD2. Live streaming option will be available on SkyGo.
Bein Sports will broadcast the La Liga match between Barcelona vs Espanyol La Liga game live on TV in Australia, the US, Canada, and the Middle East, while the live stream option is on Bein Sports Connect.
