Espanyol vs Barcelona Prediction: Back González de Zárate to see yellow in Derby Clash

| Saturday 3rd January 2026, 5:17am

Saturday 3rd January 2026, 5:17am

La Liga is back after the fallow week between Christmas and New Year. The first big Saturday night clash is a Barcelona Derby, which should be fiery and will be streamed live on Disney+ (Kick-Off 20:00)

Our La Liga Betting correspondent Mark Sochon has got the assignment for this one and take us through the Team News, Match Odds and his two Best Bets for the match. Let's check out his Espanyol vs Barcalona Predictions here on Betfred Insights...

Espanyol vs Barcelona Betting Tips

Under 4.5 goals & Espanyol +2.0 handicap @ 1/1 via Bet Builder
Urko González de Zárate to receive a card @ 8/5

*odds correct at time of publication

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

*You can check out all the Football Odds and markets on offer with us over at betfred.com

The opening Saturday in La Liga in 2026 features an eagerly awaited Catalan derby between surprise package Espanyol and leaders Barcelona. The hosts are in fine form and will fancy their chances of upsetting their neighbours.

This is always a feisty occasion, and tempers have flared in recent years with Barcelona's last two league titles both sealed with victories in derbies at the RCDE Stadium. They've not lost in La Liga at the home of their local rivals since Espanyol moved to their new ground in 2009.

A frosty welcome is sure to await the Barça players on Saturday night, with goalkeeper Joan García expected to feel the wrath of the home fans. The 24-year-old made a cross-town move in the summer having come through the youth ranks at Espanyol to shine as the club narrowly avoided relegation last term.

Espanyol have coped surprisingly well without their former keeper. They reinvested a significant chunk of the €25m fee they received for García, and have looked stronger in virtually every department as a result.

Manolo González's side have won their last five league matches to emerge as serious European candidates. They were 2-1 winners in Bilbao against Athletic Club last time out to ensure they headed into the break in fifth place, with a five-point cushion on the team directly below them.

Set-piece goals and a solid defence have been key ingredients in their success. They've conceded three fewer league goals than their opponents heading into this fixture.

Barcelona's default setting under Hansi Flick has been to take risks with an ultra-attacking brand of football, in the hope that they outscore the opposition. It's a plan that invariably works, although defeats to the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid so far this term have highlighted some flaws with that approach.

We've seen a slightly conservative shift in recent weeks, with Eric García currently being preferred to Frenkie de Jong as Pedri's central midfield partner. That's partly a reflection of how well the ex-Man City man is playing, but it's also perhaps a sign that Flick has realised that he needs to do something to tighten up.

The German has also converted left-back Gerard Martín into a central defender, and the Barça boss would have been delighted to close out 2025 with three straight victories to nil. The reigning Spanish champions had only kept four clean sheets all season prior to that in all competitions.

Team News:

Espanyol are expected to have a full squad available for this match, with the exception of midfielder Charles Pickel, who is on AFCON duty with DR Congo.

Key forward Javi Puado is fit again, but unlikely to start following a lengthy lay-off. The break has also enabled Ramón Terrats to recover from a hamstring injury.

As for Barcelona, they'll make the short trip across the Catalan capital without Ronald Araújo, Gavi and Andreas Christensen. Youngster Roony Bardghji is also an injury concern.

Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski only made the bench in the 2-0 victory at Villarreal a fortnight ago. Flick must decide whether to recall either, or stick with Fermín López and Ferran Torres.

Espanyol vs Barcelona Predicted Lineups

Rayo Vallecano: Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarria, Lopez, Valentin, Pacha, Palazon, Camello, A. Garcia
Getafe: Soria, Iglesias, Duarte, Djene, Rico, Sancris, Milla, Arambarri, Martin, Liso, Mayoral

Match Odds:

Barcelona are the 1/2 favourites to win this game. The Draw is priced at 18/5, while Espanyol are on offer at 9/2 to claim what would be a first league derby victory since the 2008/09 season, when they upset Pep Guardiola's star-studded team 2-1 at Camp Nou.

You can back Espanyol to win either half on Saturday at 13/8. The hosts are also available at 7/4 to score over 1.5 goals, while Both teams to score is on offer at 1/2.

Barcelona to win and Over 2.5 goals is priced at 9/10, while you can back the visitors to score over 2.5 goals across the 90 minutes at 6/5. Flick's men are priced at 15/8 to win to nil for the fourth game in a row.

You can back Raphinha to get on the scoresheet at 19/20, while Lamine Yamal is on offer at 11/10. The teenager is also on offer at 6/4 to assist a goal, a winning bet in his only two previous appearances against Espanyol.

Espanyol's top scorer Pere Milla is priced at 11/5 to get on the scoresheet. You can also back their frontman Roberto Fernández to score anytime at the same price.

*You can bet on and check out all of our Espanyol vs Barcelona Odds with our full betting markets on betfred.com

Espanyol vs Barcelona Stats

Eric Garcia has played the most minutes for Barcelona this season in La Liga (1,378) and has only picked up one yellow card.
Robert Lewandowski has an xG of 7.6 despite having only played 671 minutes of league football.
Three different Espanyol players have taken a penalty this season
Marko Dmitrovic has played every single minute of the season for the home side.

Bet 1 - Under 4.5 goals & Espanyol +2.0 handicap @ 1/1 via Bet Builder

There was a huge gulf between the teams last season, but Espanyol have made real strides forward this term. They've let in just one goal per game on average in La Liga, a record bettered by only three teams. A 67% home win ratio also highlights how much they are relishing life at the RCDE Stadium.

It's possible that Barcelona may still end up having too much quality across the 90 minutes, but at the very least the in-form hosts should make a real game of this.

There have been plenty of goals in Barça matches this season, but there has been a slight shift in their last three games, which have all only produced two goals. Only one of their last nine outings has served up more than four goals.

In what should be a competitive derby, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Under 4.5 goals and Espanyol +2.0 handicap at 1/1.

Bet 2 - Urko González de Zárate to receive a card @ 8/5

These teams actually have two of the best three disciplinary records in La Liga, but these fixtures are rarely tame affairs. Six red cards have been shown in the past five meetings. In the most recent clash in May, both of Espanyol's centre-backs and their two central midfielders were carded.

One of those midfielders was Urko González de Zárate, who will have a big role to play in disrupting Barcelona in the middle of the park again this weekend. The ex-Real Sociedad man has made nine starts so far this term in La Liga, picking up three yellows.

At odds of 8/5, González de Zárate looks good to receive a card in this derby match, with the hosts likely to use a physical approach at times.

2 Up Early Payout

Pre-Match Football bets on the 2 Up Early Payout market in selected games. Paid as a winner within 5 minutes if your team goes 2 goals ahead. Selected leagues only. 90 mins only. T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

Points Staked: 128
Points Returned: 124.88
P/L: -3.12

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...