RCD Espanyol de Barcelona vs FC Barcelona
Estadi Cornella-El Plat, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
Saturday, April 29th, 2017    2:45PM EST    beIN SPORTS | fuboTV

Wow!  What a wondrous week it was.  It started off in thrilling fashion with the Champions League Quarterfinal second legs taking place. We saw a young, exciting Monaco, a well organized Juventus, gritty Atletico Madrid, and rather lucky Real Madrid advance to the semifinals.  Then it was Sunday. Oh yes, on Sunday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabeu, the week culminated in scintillating style.  It was none other than the maestro himself, La Pulga, Lionel Messi that put on a magisterial performance, despite being battered, bloodied, and bruised.  He dazzled us with his velcro-like touches of the ball, long bursting and evasive runs, and sniper-esc shots ultimately killing Real Madrid’s hopes of running away with LaLiga. He burned down the Bernabeu as he sealed victory in the fleeting seconds of the match.  To add insult to injury, he removed his jersey and held it up high with his name facing the Madridista crowd. In that moment, he owned the stadium, squad, and supporters in Spain’s capitol city.

So, how is this week going to live up to El Clasico? To start, I've picked another LaLiga derby for you this weekend. This derby features El Clasico’s match winners in Barcelona, as the Azulgrana square off against crosstown rivals, Espanyol, in the Derbi Barceloni!  I’ll provide a brief historical backdrop of the derby, reveal my keys to the match, and unveil my LSB prediction.

Derbi Barceloni

This Catalan Derby means more than just crosstown clubs going toe-to-toe. In fact, if that were the case, then this rivalry wouldn’t be much more than another game against Spanish sides, as Barca have won 93 league matches to the Periquitos’, 34, with both sides drawing 36 times.  What makes this such a heated and, despite the record, rather competitive fixture is that Espanyol was founded by Spaniards. In addition, the club was christened royal patronage by the Spanish government.  The team being deemed royal patronage by the Spanish government, and their acceptance of it, inherently diminishes the Catalan connection of the team. Thereby, creating a rivalry not just of location, but of loyalties. 

You will also notice that, the Blanquiazules’ crest is eerily similar to that of Real Madrid’s, as it sports a circle filled with the club colors and team name, capped off by a crown and cross.  This only exacerbates the stance of the club, as their allegiances are already muddied.  El Derbi should be quite a dandy as the city of Barcelona will be behind FCB, and the country of Spain will be behind la Blanquiazules. 

Keys to the Match

Last week I chose Lionel Messi as my key performer for Barcelona, and boy did he live up to the billing!  This go round, I’m focusing on Los Pistoleros, Luis Suarez.  He’s scored 32 goals and produced 17 assists in all competitions this year, but over the past 5 matches Suarez has been shooting blanks.  Los Pistoleros has zero goals and just one assist over this span.  Thus, he’s primed to break out against Espanyol.  A world class striker of his ilk possesses raw power in physique, pace in his lumbering runs and shots, and deadly accuracy from all angles.  This is the Suarez that we have come to know, love and don Los Pistoleros and that’s the Suarez we’ll see come Saturday.  

As for Espanyol, it’ll be a collective effort to keep Barca from running rampant.  Espanyol will try to neutralize FCB through playing a physical, aggressive and foul-laden match.  Two things are for certain, plenty of yellow cards and plenty of images showing Messi’s jersey being pulled back as he squirts past defenders.  

LSB Prediction

Assuming that Barcelona win tomorrow’s midweek match against LaLiga dwellers Osasuna, the Azulgrana will not only be playing for Catalan pride, but for the hopes of winning and retaining LaLiga, as well.  Thus, a focused Barcelona squad, led by Luis Suarez, will produce a quick-fire double on way to undressing the royal patronage hosts.  3-1 FC Barcelona