Barça’s Derby Reload: Flick’s Barça Ready to Battle Espanyol with Olmo and Pedri Back

Match Preview

Barça aims to stay ahead at the top of La Liga, despiteEspanyol’s threat.

Hansi Flick has named the squad for today’s clash with Espanyol in La Liga Round 18, with Dani Olmo and Pedri back after the club announced their medical clearances.

The full squad list for today’s game is set to challenge Espanyol’s resilience and Barca’s rhythm, as the team looks to push further clear at the summit.

Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen - Garcia - Szczesny.

Defense: Balde - Koundé - Gerard Martin - Araujo - Eric Garcia - Jovefy.

Midfield: Pedri - De Jong - Xavi? - Olmo - Llorente - Bernat - Drov - Tomi.

Attack: Ferran Torres - Lewandowski - Lamine Yamal - Rafinha - Rony Bardhi.

Barça sits top of La Liga with 46 points from 18 matches, while Espanyol are fifth with 33 from 17. The match also puts Ter Stegen on a curious date with his former rivals, as fans plan a heated reception for him as he tends the goal against his old club.

The keeper, who grew up at the club since age 15, left to join Barça after paying the 25 million euro release clause, a detail that adds extra edge to the derby context.

Punchlines: If football were a bakery, this derby would be a croissant—flaky on the outside, layers of drama in the middle. And if humor were a referee, it’d blow the whistle just to remind us to smile.