"Happy New Year! 2026 is here and Barcelona kick off a massive January schedule with the first Derbi Barcelonés of the season as the Blaugrana make the very short trip to Cornellà to face local rivals Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday Night Fútbol. Barça come into this one on the back of a very successful end to 2025, with seven consecutive wins in all competitions and a very clear show of progress since the loss at Stamford Bridge."
"It's actually wild to think about how Barça are finally starting to look like themselves again and Chelsea just parted ways with the manager who masterminded that night in London just five weeks ago, but that's a conversation for another day. It's time to focus on the task at hand, and that is winning a ninth La Liga game in a row to open up a temporary seven-point gap at the top of the table"
Barcelona visit Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday, January 3, 2026, for the first Derbi Barcelonés of the season. Barcelona lead La Liga with 46 points and aim for a ninth consecutive league win to open a temporary seven-point gap. Espanyol sit fifth with 33 points and represent one of the strongest local sides in recent decades. Barcelona enter the match off seven straight wins but will be without Ronald Araujo, Gavi and Andreas Christensen. Ramon Terrats is listed as a doubt for Espanyol. Víctor García Verdura will referee with VAR Juan Luis Pulido Santana.
Read at Barca Blaugranes
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]