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Opposition lowdown: FC Barcelona
All you need to know about Sunday's opponents for the Barcelona derby
RCD Espanyol take on FC Barcelona in the Barcelona derby on Sunday.
It is derby day at the RCDE Stadium this weekend, with extra motivation for both teams as well as bragging rights in the city. Espanyol need the points to get out of the relegation zone with less than a month to go of the season, while the visitors are on the verge of the LaLiga title.
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Name: FC Barcelona
Nickname: Blaugrana (Blue and Maroon)
Manager: Xavi
Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou – 99,354 capacity
Last match: W 1-0 vs Osasuna
Current position: 1st
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The season so far
Barça have returned to winning ways and sit top of the league, with a remarkable record of conceding once every three matches. The blemish on their campaign however is the failure in Europe, where they were knocked out of the Champions League group stage and dropping down to the Europa League, where they exited at the first hurdle.
Standout player
Robert Lewandowski has been in red hot form in his debut season with the club, currently the leading LaLiga goalscorer with 19 goals in 29 appearances.
Last time at the RCDE Stadium
Espanyol and Barça played out a thrilling draw last time at the Temple, with the Mágico so close to taking all three points. Sergi Darder and Raúl de Tomás turned it around to put them 2-1 ahead going into stoppage time, before the visitors snatched a point right at the death in devastating fashion.
Club links
There are a few links in the current Espanyol squad to their city neighbours, none more so prevalent than Martin Braithwaite. The Danish striker moved across the city last summer to join Espanyol after two-and-a-half years with Barça, as he looks to bite back against his former club this weekend.