Espanyol try to push forward on one last attack as Asensio weaves his way in from the left wing before being fouled just outside of the Barcelona penalty area, resulting in a rare chance on goal for Espanyol. With what will surely be the final kick of the game, Sanchez steps up and unleashes a shot that flies over the top of the crossbar and out of play for a goal-kick.
90'
J. Mascherano gets yellow.
Espanyol try to break away on a quick counter-attack, but Mascherano is there to make sure that they don't with a hefty sliding challenge that results in a late yellow card for the Argentine.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
89'
Barcelona are toying with the Espanyol defence at the moment as they run rings around them deep inside the visitors' half of the pitch. Messi is eventually able to penetrate the box before looking to shoot, but he's closed down quickly and is unable to do so before finally losing the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
87'
Suarez breaks into the Espanyol box and battles with Roco before playing the ball off the centre-back and out for a corner. Neymar steps up and whips a curling cross towards the near post, but it's poorly hit by the Brazilian and flies straight into the side-netting.
85'
Messi almost makes it 6-0! The Argentine twists and turns on the edge of the Espanyol penalty area before penetrating the left-hand side of the box. He charges towards the near post before trying to beat Pau at the far stick, but his shot is slightly scuffed and ends up rolling a yard or two wide of its intended target.
83'
Neymar has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by L. Suárez.
That was a lovely piece of play from Suarez, who could have gone for his hat-trick but instead unselfishly set up Neymar, who was in a great position in front of goal after being left completely unmarked by the sleeping Espanyol defence.
GOAL! It's another for Barcelona! Diop carelessly loses the ball in the middle of the pitch and allows Alves to chip a beautiful pass over the Espanyol defence and into the path of Suarez. The Uruguayan meets it well and looks set to shoot, but he instead cuts the ball over to Neymar, who is then easily able to tap his close-range shot into the back of the net to make it 5-0 to the hosts.
82'
Barcelona continue pushing forward and are currently running rings around Espanyol, who can't seem to get anywhere near the ball. The visitors look as if they just want the game to come to an end, as they're really struggling and are leaving far too much space available to the hosts' front line, who are still hungry for more goals.
80'
Mascherano sends an excellent cross-field pass over to the right wing, where it find Alves. The Brazilian tries to break past two Espanyol players but is unable to do so and has to settle for a throw-in, which the visitors deal with well before pushing the hosts back towards the halfway line.
78'
Espanyol move the ball around nicely before Sanchez receives it with his back to goal. He's just inside the Barcelona half of the pitch and tries to spin to pick out a teammate, but there's nobody there with him and the hosts are easily able to win back possession before pushing forward on yet another determined attacking move.
76'
It's all Barcelona at the moment as they continue to put Espanyol under an incredible amount of pressure. The visitors are really struggling and look completely bereft of confidence and belief whenever the hosts break forward. If things remain like this, the league leaders could find at least another goal or two before the end of the game.
Minute
Description
74'
Rafinha has scored a goal for Barcelona!
GOAL! What a mistake by Pau! Neymar and Turan play a quick one-two with one another on the edge of the Espanyol penalty area before the Brazilian fires a low cross into the penalty area. It should be an easy stop for the goalkeeper, but he lets the ball roll under his body and into the path of Rafinha, who is able to tap a close-range shot into the back of an empty net with his first kick since coming on to the pitch.
73'
A. Turan enters the game and replaces Andrés Iniesta.
Rafinha enters the game and replaces I. Rakitić.
Meanwhile, Rafinha comes on to replace Rakitic, who has operated well in the Barcelona midfield.
Iniesta receives a standing ovation from the Barcelona fans as he's replaced by Turan for the final 17 minutes of the game.
72'
Paco Montañés enters the game and replaces Cañas.
Espanyol have made their final substitution, with Canas, whose first game since December has been an incredibly tough one, being replaced by Montanes.
71'
Espanyol are able to break forward on a rare attacking move and do well to penetrate the left-hand side of the Barcelona penalty area. Suarez then tries to chipped a deft pass into the path of Moreno, but Mascherano is there to block the ball before receiving a blow to the throat.
70'
J. Mathieu enters the game and replaces Jordi Alba.
Alba makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Mathieu in Barcelona's first change of the game.
69'
Rober Correa gets yellow.
Pau López gets yellow.
Correa isn't at all happy with the challenge from Busquets in the build-up to Rakitic's chance on goal, and he vociferously argues his case with the referee before receiving a yellow card.
And now Pau has been cautioned for his arguing with the man in charge, as he too wasn't happy with Busquets' tackle.
68'
Correa is dispossessed by a hefty tackle from Busquets near to the halfway line, and Neymar then quickly picks up the ball before driving forward. He cuts towards the left-hand side of the Espanyol penalty area before cutting a pass back to Rakitic, but the Croatian ends up firing his thumping, 25-yard strike comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
67'
Espanyol are able to swing together a series of good passes as they break down the right wing on a rare foray into the Barcelona half of the pitch. A curling cross is then flung into the middle of the penalty area, where Diop is waiting after making a good run forward, but he's out-muscled by Mascherano and ends up poking the ball out of play for a goal-kick.
66'
Rober Correa enters the game and replaces H. Pérez.
Espanyol have made their second change of the afternoon, with Perez, who has been rash with his challenges despite being on a yellow card, making way for Rober.
65'
Three goals down and with only 25 minutes left to play, Espanyol look well beaten, and it seems as if they know it as well. It's becoming increasingly easy for Barcelona to patiently knock the ball around inside hte visitors' half of the pitch, which they are now doing with ease every time they push forward.
63'
Javi López gets yellow.
Neymar weaves his way towards the Espanyol penalty area before being clattered to the ground by a strong sliding challenge from Lopez, and the full-back becomes the fifth of the visitors' players to enter the referee's book.
61'
L. Suárez has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Neymar.
Neymar, who has been slightly quiet this afternoon, did wonderfully well to pick out Suarez with his well-placed cross from the corner, but once again the defending from Espanyol was far too lax, as Lopez was easily out-muscled by the Uruguayan in the build-up to the striker's second goal of the game.
GOAL! It's 3-0! Alves charges down the right wing before playing the ball off Alvarez and out for a Barcelona corner. Neymar steps up and curls a beautiful cross right on to the head of Suarez, who is completely unmarked in front of goal and is easily able to send a bullet header into the left corner of the net. That should be that for the league leaders, who are now almost certain to wrap up the win!
60'
Vital interception by Alvarez! Neymar weaves down the left wing on a lovely run before cutting inside and heading towards the box. He then tries to pick out Suarez, who had made a great run into the penalty area, with a deft through-ball over to the right, but the Espanyol full-back is there to cut out the danger with an excellent block in the middle of the pitch.
58'
Almost a costly mistake by Pau! The goalkeeper is sloppy with his attempted clearance and sends it straight into the body of Suarez, who then breaks into the right-hand side of the Espanyol penalty area. He lifts his head and spots the run of Neymar before trying to pick out the Brazilian, but his cross is overhit and sails over the head of the Brazilian.
56'
Lovely play by Barcelona! Messi picks up the ball in a pocket of space just outside of the Espanyol penalty area and isn't put under enough pressure by the visitors' midfield, allowing him to pick out Suarez with a beautiful pass. The striker meets it at the far post and quickly tries to shoot, but he's put under good pressure by Pau and is forced into running the ball out of play for a goal-kick.
54'
Sloppy play again from Espanyol almost gifts Rakitic with the perfect opportunity to break into the box, but he gets the ball stuck in his feet and is unable to beat Roco. He's able to back-heel it to Suarez, however, and the striker then flies forward before going down under a challenge from the visitors' Chilean centre-back. There was very little contact between the two, however, and the referee immediately tells the Uruguayan to get back to his feet.
52'
L. Suárez has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by L. Messi.
That was a lovely pick-out by Messi, who did well to perfectly weight his pass, but Espanyol really should have done better to hold on to the ball, as they were under very little pressure when Diop was trying to find a teammate.
GOAL! Barcelona have doubled their lead! Diop cheaply gives away possession and sends a poor pass straight to Alves. The Brazilian quickly tees up Messi, who then pokes a lovely through-ball into the path of Suarez, and the Uruguayan is easily able to slot a wonderful shot past the outstretched limbs of Pau and into the back of the net.
50'
Espanyol are unable to hold on to the ball for long and quickly surrender it back to Barcelona. It's swiftly worked out to Alba, who then charges down the left wing before trying to pick out Suarez with a looping cross. It's completely overhit, however, and flies over the head of striker before sailing harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick.
49'
After spending what feels like an age eyeing up his target, Messi steps up and curls a deep cross over towards the far post. It looks set to find a Barcelona player in front of goal, but Diop is there to cut out the danger before heading the ball away with a vital clearance.
48'
Barcelona patiently move the ball around deep inside the Espanyol half of the pitch before Iniesta weaves his way towards the penalty area, but as soon as he tries to spin and pick out a teammate he's clipped from behind by Lopez, resulting in another free-kick for the hosts in a very dangerous position just outside of the box.
46'
Gerard Moreno enters the game and replaces F. Caicedo.
Espanyol have made one substitution during the break, with Caicedo maing way for Moreno.
And we're underway once again!
45'
Barcelona seem to have taken their foot off the pedal slightly over the past few minutes, and it's now Espanyol who are enjoying the vast majority of possession as they try to break forward on a rare foray into the hosts' half of the pitch. They're unable to do so quickly enough, however, and the referee ends up blowing the whistle for half-time before they're able to penetrate the penalty area.
43'
As expected, Espanyol have found it difficult to get forward, but Caicedo is doing well to hold up the ball on the rare occasions that he's about to get a touch on it. He does so once again and earns his side a free-kick midway inside the Barcelona half of of the pitch, but they're unable to do much with the set-piece as they take it short before being pushed back past the halfway line.
41'
Suarez hasn't been playing at his best thus far, but he's now starting to find more joy in front of goal. This time he picks up the ball just outside of the Espanyol box before flying towards the near post, but just as he's about to shoot he's quickly put under pressure by Roco, who does well to shepherd the ball out of play for a goal-kick.
39'
Cañas gets yellow.
Neymar cuts inside from the left wing and tries to weave his way towards the edge of the penalty area, but he's clattered into by Canas, who becomes the latest player to enter the referee's book. Instead of shooting, Messi tries to take the Espanyol defence by surprise by chipping a cross into the middle of the box, but Suarez is comfortably beaten to the ball by his marker.
38'
Chance for Suarez! The Uruguayan twists and turns as he weaves his way into the Espanyol penalty area, but he's put under good pressure by Roco and has to settle for a corner. The set-piece then bounces over to the far post, where it finds the striker, but he's unable to control it well enough and ends up running the ball out of play for a goal-kick before he can get a shot away.
36'
Víctor Álvarez gets yellow.
It's kicking off! Alvarez flies into Messi and clips the Argentine with a reckless sliding challenge, but the referee allows play to go and Barcelona continue their attack down the right wing. Rakitic then cuts inside before being clattered into by Duarte, but it's Alvarez who receives a yellow card before a few angry words are exchanged between the two sets of players.
35'
Perez charges into Alves and brings the Brazilian crashing to the ground, resulting in a free-kick for Barcelona deep down the right flank. Messi's cross from the set-piece is deflected out for a corner, but it fails to result in a chance on goal as Duarte is just about able to beat Rakitic to the ball in front of goal.
33'
Barcelona scream for a penalty, but nothing is given! Espanyol lose the ball in the middle of the pitch, allowing Suarez to fly down the right wing on a quick counter-attack. The Uruguayan cuts inside and sends a lovely pass right into the feet of Messi, who then unleashes a thumping strike from just inside the penalty area. It's well blocked by Roco and bounces back to the Argentine, who then goes down after being caught by Duarte's outstretched foot. He immediately turns to the referee and throws his hands up in frustration, but the man in charge just shakes his head and waves play on.
31'
A Barcelona attacking move comes to nothing, and Espanyol are once again able to break down the left wing before winning themselves yet another free-kick. Once again, the set-piece is flung into the penalty area by Canas and causes plenty of problems for the hosts defence, who are just about able to deal with the initial danger before another cross is fired into the box. This one finds the head of Diop, but the midfielder's effort has too much power behind it and ends up flying over the top of the crossbar.
29'
Caicedo does well to hold up the ball in the middle of the pitch before forcing Alves into tripping him over from behind, resulting in a free-kick for Espanyol. They lump it forward to the striker, who chests the ball down well and out-muscles Pique before swinging a shot towards goal, but it's sent straight into the hands of Ter Stegen and the goalkeeper is easily able to save the Ecuadorian's tame effort.
27'
H. Pérez gets yellow.
Once again, Espanyol try to hit Barcelona on the counter by launching a long ball up to Caicedo, but the striker is unable to get a foot on it and it ends up bouncing into the hands of Ter Stegen, who has had very little to do thus far. The German then throws the ball out to Iniesta, who weaves through the middle of the pitch on his way to the halfway line, but before he's able to reach it he's cynically pulled back by Perez, who becomes the latest player to receive a yellow card as a result.
25'
An attempted Espanyol counter-attack fails to result in a chance on goal, as Barcelona quickly put Caicedo under an incredible amount of pressure and swiftly win the ball back. They then break forward on a determined attack of their own before Messi tries to penetrate the penalty area, but Duarte is there to dispossess the Argentine with an excellent sliding tackle on the edge of the box.
23'
Great chance for Messi! Suarez breaks into the right-hand side of the Espanyol penalty area before chipping a well-placed cross over to the far post, where it finds Neymar. The Brazilian controls the ball well before sending a lovely rabona into the path of Messi, but the Argentine is unable to make decent contact with the pass and his rushed shot ends up bouncing a few yards wide of the near post.
21'
Neymar twists and turns deep down the left wing before spinning and finding Busquets, who is in a pocket of space and quickly picks out Alves with a lovely chipped pass over to the right flank. The Brazilian fires a low cross off Sanchez and wins his side a corner, which is taken short but fails to result in a chance on goal for Barcelona, who seem content to take their time with their attacking moves.
19'
This time it's Neymar who steps up and tries to beat Pau from the resulting free-kick on the edge of the Espanyol penalty area, but it fails to trouble the goalkeeper, despite it only flying a yard or two over the top of the crossbar.
18'
P. Diop gets yellow.
Barcelona move the ball around quickly deep inside the Espanyol half of the pitch before Iniesta finds himself in a pocket of space 30 yards away from goal. He quickly sprints towards the edge of the penalty area before being brought crashing to the ground by a poor sliding challenge from Diop, who not only concedes a free-kick but is also shown a yellow card.
17'
Espanyol are finally able to string together a few passes inside the Barcelona half of the pitch as they patiently try to make their way down the right wing, but they're quickly closed down by the hosts before a misplaced pass from Perez flies away from any of his teammates and straight into the feet of Busquets.
15'
Messi steps up once again and this time tries to curl a 20-yard strike into the top left-hand corner of the net, but there's slightly too much power behind the shot and it ends up comfortably looping over the top of the crossbar and out of play for a goal-kick.
14'
Espanyol are just about to deal with another determined Barcelona attacking move, but they then undo all of their good work with poor passing that sends the ball straight into the feet of Rakitic. The midfielder immediately charges towards the edge of the penalty area before being brought down by a reckless sliding challenge from Lopez, which results in another free-kick for the hosts in a very dangerous position just outside of the box.
12'
L. Messi gets yellow.
Messi and Alvarez have been battling fiercely since the first whistle, with the two clashing often down the right flank. They do so once again as the Argentine attempts to nutmeg the left-back, but he fails to do so and then pulls the shirt of the Espanyol defender, which earns him the first yellow card of the afternoon.
11'
Barcelona score again, but it's ruled offside! Messi picks up the ball on the edge of the box and immediately pokes a wonderful pass into the path of Suarez. The Uruguayan immediately forces Pau into making a diving save, which results in the goalkeeper parrying the ball out to Messi, who then unleashes a follow-up shot. It's scuffed slightly and deflects off the leg of Rakitic before finding the back of the net, but the Croatian is standing slightly offside and it's quickly ruled out.
10'
Barcelona immediately win back possession from the restart and Neymar quickly breaks down the left wing. He holds the ball up for a moment before trying to pick out Suarez, who had made a lovely run into the Espanyol penalty area, but the Brazilian's attempted through-ball is slightly overhit and misses the striker before rolling out of play for a goal-kick.
8'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona!
GOAL! Barcelona have taken an early lead! Messi twists and turns on the edge of the Espanyol penalty area before being dragged to the ground by Alvarez, leaving the referee with no choice but to award him a free-kick. After taking his time eyeing up the target, the Argentine steps up and curls a beautiful strike past the outstretched arms of Pau and into the top right-hand corner of the net. What a start by the league leaders!
7'
Messi and Alvarez battle for the ball deep down the right flank before the Argentine wins the hosts a throw-in. It's sent short and worked over to Alves, who then curls a cross over towards Neymar, but the Brazilian is beaten to the ball by Lopez and Espanyol are just about able to clear the danger after a few nervy moments.
5'
Another determined Barcelona attacking move comes to an end, allowing Espanyol an opportunity to break away on a quick counter-attack down the right wing. Perez twists and turns as he takes on several of the hosts' players as he tries to weave his way towards the penalty area, but he ends up losing his footing at the last minute before catching Mascherano on the shin with a high challenge. It leaves the Argentine in a heap on the floor and in serious discomfort, but after receiving medical attention for a few moments he's able to get back to his feet and play on.
3'
Neymar quickly wins back possession for Barcelona before flying down the left flank on another lovely run. He beats two Espanyol players with ease before firing a low cross towards Suarez, but it's cut out by Duarte at the vital moment before Lopez thumps the ball out of play for a throw-in.
2'
Barcelona immediately embark on a quick start to the game as Neymar weaves his way down the left wing. He then cuts inside before losing the ball, but it loops up into the air and over towards Suarez, who makes a good run into the Espanyol penalty area. The Uruguayan is unable to meet it in time, however, as Pau is there to comfortably cut out the danger.
1'
And we're off! Espanyol get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s La Liga game between Barcelona and Espanyol at Camp Nou.
How things have changed in little under two months. March 12th saw Barcelona thrash Getafe 6-0 to open up an 11-point lead over their nearest challengers, making it a near certainty that they were going to win their second consecutive La Liga title. However, disaster struck at the worst moment, and a four-game winless run brought both Atletico and Real Madrid back into the race for the title. Now, with just two clashes left to play, the Rojiblancos sit equal on points with Luis Enrique’s men, whilst a resurgent Real lie just one point behind in third place. As a result, there is no room for error for Barcelona, who simply must win both of their remaining league games to ensure that they don’t lose the title at the last minute. Since losing to Valencia three weeks ago, Blaugrana have impressed, thumping Deportivo La Coruna and Sporting Gijon 8-0 and 6-0 before winning 2-0 against Real Betis last weekend. They will certainly be confident about their chances of picking up another victory against their Catalan rivals here today, as it’s now over seven years since Espanyol won El Derbi Barceloni.
It’s been a tough season for Espanyol, but last weekend’s impressive 1-0 victory at home to Sevilla was a huge one and means that they head into their final two games of the campaign knowing that they are almost certainly safe from relegation. Five points currently separate the Periquitos and the drop zone, but only wins for Sporting Gijon and Getafe this afternoon will result in them still being in danger of dropping down heading into their final clash of the season at home to Eibar. There’s no doubt that today’s game is going to be a tough one for Constantin Galca’s men, who have not only lost each of their last six meetings with Barcelona but have also lost 13 times away from home this campaign. Nonetheless, this afternoon’s encounter between two old rivals is guaranteed to be one that is full of energy and excitement.
Barcelona XI (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Barcelona substitutes: Masip, Mathieu, Vidal, Rafinha, Roberto, Turan, Munir.
Meanwhile, Espanyol boss Constantin Galca has made three alterations to the side that won 1-0 at home to Sevilla, with Javi Lopez, Victor Alvarez and Jose Canas coming into the starting line-up to replace Rober Correa, Alvaro Gonzalez and Enzo Roco.
Luis Enrique has decided to make just one change to the Barcelona side that beat Real Betis last weekend, with the only alteration being the inclusion of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who takes the place of Claudio Bravo in goal due to the injury that the Chilean picked up in his last outing.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 1-0 ESPANYOL
So far, so good for Barcelona, although it hasn't been a vintage performance from them in what has been a largely frustrating opening 45 minutes. The hosts started brilliantly and immediately put Espanyol under an incredible amount of pressure, but the visitors have done well to largely keep the league leaders at bay, both through fair and not-so-fair means. Constantin Galca's men have already received four yellow cards, with Perez and Alvarez at risk of picking up another if they don't calm down in the second half. Either way, it's certainly set to be another feisty 45 minutes after the break.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 5-0 ESPANYOL
After a slightly nervy first half, Barcelona burst into life in the second and continuously made life a misery for Espanyol, who were constantly on the back foot and had a terrible time trying to deal with the hosts' determined front line. Neymar, Messi and, in particular, Suarez were all excellent in front of goal, and goals for each of them, as well as substitute Rafinha, means that Barcelona remain top of the table going into their final game of the season against Granada. Atletico Madrid's shock defeat against Levante means that the race for the title is now between Luis Enrique's men and Real Madrid, who were just about able to beat Valencia 3-2 at the Bernabeu this afternoon.
Commentary
More…