Barcelona vs Espanyol: Team news & preview

The league leaders will be confident of claiming three points over their Catalan rivals and extending their lead at the top of La Liga

Club football returns this weekend after a short international break and to kick things back into action we have Barcelona hosting rivals Espanyol in a much-anticipated derby clash.

There may be 22 points between the sides in the table, but there is a lot of pride at stake when these two teams meet.

The last time the pair met was back in December, when Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez and a brace from Lionel Messi secured three points for the visitors in a 4-0 win.

Now, Rubi's men will be as motivated as ever to gain revenge over their rivals with a result at Camp Nou and ensure their last meeting is all forgotten about.

TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game has yet have a broadcaster announced but you can follow the game live HERE with Goal.

Squads & Team News

While Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have looked doubtful in recent days with various injuries, they both took part in Wednesday's training session and look available for selection on Saturday.

Messi picked up a groin injury while on international duty, but the Argentina star looks like he will have overcome that issue to start on Saturday.

Ousmane Dembele is likely to miss the clash with a hamstring injury while Rafinha is also still out of contention as he recovers from a cruciate ligament injury.

Potential Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Vidal, Busquets, Arthur, Rakitic; Suarez, Messi.

Espanyol are without key midfielder Sergi Darder after he was sent off last time out against Sevilla, while Didac Vila also misses out with suspension.

Elsewhere, David Lopez and Pablo Piatti remain out of contention as they look to overcome cruciate ligament injuries, while Facundo Ferreyra is sidelined with a hamstring issue.

Potential Espanyol XI: Diego Lopez; Javi Lopez, Hermoso, Naldo, Rosalas; Wu Lei, Melendo, Roca, Granero, Perez; Iglesias

Betting & Match Odds

Barcelona are the odds-on favourites at 1/7 with bet365. Espanyol are at 14/1 while a draw is priced at 8/1.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

Match Preview

Ernesto Valverde will be pleased to have Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez back in training after their recent injury scares, with both now expected to feature on Saturday.

Fellow attacker Ousmane Dembele is sidelined, so the potential absence of his two star players could have created some panic with regards to who would lead the line against their Catalan rivals.

However, the Argentina international is expected to play and continue his brilliant form of late which has seen him bag six goals and assist three others in his last three club games.

This has only led to further praise from the footballing world, incluing his manager who recently highlighted his importance once again to a thriving Barca attack.

"It's evidence of the player he is," Valverde said regarding Messi's form. "Despite the opposition being on the receiving end, we are all enjoying this era of his, which is unequalled."

From an Espanyol point of view, it very much looks like damage limitation when they take the small trip over to the Camp Nou.

They suffered a 0-4 defeat last time they faced Valverde's men, and it wouldn't be too surprising to see a similar scoreline inflicted upon them again given their recent form.

Rubi's men have only won one of their last five fixtures, while they also failed to score last time out against Sevilla.

However, as often seen in derby matches, the form book sometimes goes out the window and Espanyol will be hoping that will be the case on Saturday as they look to secure a surprise result.

The Catalan side hold a nine-point advantage over Celta Vigo in the final relegation spot, so the threat of relegation isn't imminent yet.