Espanyol vs FC Barcelona: Confirmed Lineups – Unprecedented defense for the derby! <\/a> <\/h4> <\/div> <\/section><\/div> The match began with a rarefied atmosphere, the product of a previous incident on the outskirts of the RCDE Stadium<\/strong> where a group of fans were run over by an unknown car. The event occurred while the ‘pericos’ fans were waiting for the club’s bus and left several injured.<\/p> In the 9th minute, the north stand of Cornell\u00e0 sharpened its protest for what happened before the match and C\u00e9sar Soto Grado had to momentarily stop the match<\/strong>. After a brief chat with those in charge of security, the ‘ok’ was given to the continuity of the match.<\/p> Bar\u00e7a started sleepy against an Espanyol lacking aim<\/h2>
The locals started better, very attentive in the high pressure and betting on the filtered passes behind the ‘cul\u00e9s’ center backs. Roca assisted Urko in the 5th minute<\/strong>, allowing the Basque to get past Christensen and stand face to face against Szczesny, but his shot went wide.<\/p> Espanyol warned again in the 12th minute, this time with another volley shot from Javi Puado<\/strong> that did not find the direction of the goal. Bar\u00e7a responded with a good arrival in which Lewandowski<\/strong> rushed to take a whiplash that almost surprised Joan Garc\u00eda. <\/p> After the first quarter of an hour, Puado had the clearest chance of the first half for the ‘pericos’, but Szczesny narrowed quickly and rejected the ‘7’s shot with a remarkable save<\/strong>. The Pole reappeared in the 26th minute, coming out to cut off another very dangerous arrival from Edu Exp\u00f3sito.<\/p> Bar\u00e7a struggled to get into the game, beyond the great work of Pedri<\/strong>. The Canary Islander appeared in all sectors of the field to give meaning to the ‘azulgrana’ possession. In the 31st minute, the ‘8’ tried it with a shot from the edge of the area, but Lamine Yamal and Raphinha did not finish getting into the game.<\/p> The youth player also tried it with one of his usual placed left-footed shots, but without disturbing Joan Garc\u00eda. Before the break, Lewandowski touched the goal with a volley<\/strong>, after an assist from Eric Garc\u00eda, which came out slightly open, grazing the post. It was the only opportunity in the first 45′ where the ’24’ managed to overflow on the right.<\/p> In the end, the score remained at zero at halftime, with the ‘azulgrana’ team much thicker than usual. At halftime, Flick put Alejandro Balde in place of Gerard Mart\u00edn<\/strong> to give more depth to the ‘cul\u00e9’ attack.<\/p> Statistics of the first half: Espanyol 0-0 Bar\u00e7a<\/h3> - Shots<\/strong>: 3-7<\/li> \t
- Shots on goal<\/strong>: 1-1<\/li> \t
- Possession<\/strong>: 22 % – 78 %<\/li> \t
- Fouls<\/strong>: 3-5<\/li> \t
- Yellow cards<\/strong>: 0-1<\/li> \t
- Offsides<\/strong>: 1-0<\/li> \t
- Corners<\/strong>: 1-1<\/li> <\/ol>