Barcelona will be aiming to win their seventh straight La Liga encounter when they meet Espanyol at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
Barcelona have not lost against Espanyol in their last 14 head-to-head meetings with their last defeat against Espanyol coming in a Copa Del Rey encounter back in January 2018.
For the home side, Hansi Flick faces a significant selection headache as Barcelona balances the Catalan derby with a crucial Champions League return leg against Atlético Madrid.
Pedri is expected to miss out after reporting hamstring discomfort during midweek European action, joining long-term absentee Andreas Christensen on the sidelines.
Raphinha remains ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained on international duty, while young talent Marc Bernal is a major doubt due to an ankle issue.
On a more positive note, Frenkie de Jong is nearing medical clearance and could feature off the bench, while Gavi is tipped for his first start since August to fill the void in midfield.
Flick may also rotate his frontline, potentially resting Robert Lewandowski in favour of Ferran Torres to maintain freshness for their upcoming continental decider.
Espanyol enters the derby desperate for its first victory of 2026, and manager Manolo González is expected to field the strongest possible XI despite some key absences.
The visitors will be without their attacker Javi Puado, who remains a long-term casualty due to a persistent knee injury.
Further complicating matters in defence, Clemens Riedel is unavailable for selection today as he serves a suspension for accumulating five yellow cards.
Pere Milla is available again after serving his own disciplinary ban.
Roberto Fernandez is expected to continue leading the line in hopes of an upset with the forward having scored six times in the league this season.
Barcelona is currently sitting on top of the table with 76 points from 30 matches leading the La Liga table by six points as second-placed Real Madrid are on 70 points. Barcelona have a chance to extend the lead to nine points if they secure a win against Espanyol. However, Barcelona comes to this match after a midweek disappointment as they lost in the first leg of the Champions League quarter finals against Atletico Madrid (0-2).
Espanyol are currently 10th in the table with 38 points and they are on a winless run of 13 matches and have failed to win any matches in this calendar year of 2026. Their most recent outing ended in a 0-0 draw with Real Betis.
Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; E Garcia, Gavi; Yamal, F Lopez, OImo; F Torres
Espanyol: Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Ngonge, Gonzalez, Milla, Lozano, Dolan; Fernandez
You can watch Barcelona vs Espanyol in the UK on Premier Sports 2.
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