Barcelona fans will not be allowed to enter the Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium on Sunday should they wear the club’s famous colors.
The LaLiga leaders Barcelona will be crowned champions if they win over their rivals next weekend.
Their opponent Espanyol are currently three points from safety and their relegation fears are quite deepened as they face Barca.
However, Barca fans who would want to fly the club’s flag in celebration of Xavi’s men’s title triumph will not be allowed into Espanyol’s stadium if they are sporting any attire related to Barcelona’s red and blue.
This stance from Espanyol is a direct response to the same measure that was used by Barcelona in their reverse fixture in December 2022.
Away fans were barred from entering the stadium for wearing blue and white jersey along with any fans with Espanyol emblems or flags.
Barcelona said in a statement that: “The sale of tickets for Espanyol fans is prohibited. Likewise, fans who come with Espanyol clothing or emblems will be denied entry to the stadium.”
The La Liga giant is looking to prevent a repeat of what happened in their Europa league encounter with Eintracht Frankfurt last season.
Frankfurt fans who were 30,000 in number overran the stadium and overpowered the audience as tickets were distributed within the stadium.
The matchup between the two sides saw the two teams finish in an ill-tempered 1-1 draw in front of a crowd of 88,000 fans.
Jordi Alba of Barcelona and Vinicius Souza of Frankfurt did not finish the match as both saw a red card in the game.
Espanyol are in the relegation zone and three points behind Valencia, while Barca is set to be crowned champions if they win the derby.
Barcelona v Espanyol
Espanyol will welcome Barcelona on 14 May 2023 at 19:00 UTC at RCDE Stadium stadium, Cornella city, Spain.
This La Liga match is a must win for both parties, while Barca are looking to lift the trophy, Espanyol is looking to remain in the Spanish Top Flight.
Espanyol have played against Barcelona just once in the 2022/23 season.
Currently, Espanyol are ranked 19th, while Barcelona are the league leaders in the Spanish Top Flight.
Espanyol and Barcelona have played 61 matches so far and Espanyol have won just 6 direct matches.
Barcelona on the other hand are dominant here as they have won 36 matches against their domestic rivals.
The encounter has seen 19 matches end in a draw. On average, in direct matches, both teams scored a 2.51 goals per Match.
Espanyol in actual season average scored 1.18 goals per match.
