FC Barcelona's predicted XI for the upcoming La Liga matchday against Espanyol

Coming on the back of a series of dominant displays against some of the best European clubs, FC Barcelona would now face Espanyol in La Liga. Given the form the Blaugrana club has been in recently, with the side having responded brilliantly on all key aspects, they enter the fixture as the clear favorites. However, Hansi Flick's side would certainly want to start the fixture uncarried by the previous wins, considering the stakes involved in the Catalan Derby matchday.

FC Barcelona, currently at 30 points from the eleven matchdays, would want to extend their La Liga lead at the tabletop position with a home victory against Derby rivals Espanyol. On that note, let's take a look at the probable lineup Barca boss Flick might use to outplay Espanyol:

Defense

Starting with the keeping position, prodigy keeper Inaki Pena would start as the undisputed starter. Considering the way the 25-year-old has performed in the important matchdays against Bayern and Real Madrid, Pena has paid enough justice to the confidence Hansi Flick had been showing in him, and thus he starts between the sticks for Barca yet again.

Coming to the back four, significant chances are that Barcelona boss Flick would want to start his entrusted options without a change. So far this season, the full-back dynamic duo of Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde and the center-back duo of Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez have been excellent at the back, and responsibilities would be on them again in the Catalan derby fixture.

Midfield

While there aren't any changes expected in Barcelona's defense line, the club's midfield department might have a few names added to the starting XI. As reports suggest, Barca boss Hansi Flick would prioritize game time for his star-studded midfield trio, Dani Olmo, de Jong, and Gavi, and a few of them could be on the manager's starting lineup.

Considering the way Dutch star de Jong had stabilized Barca's playstyle in El Clasico last week, he could be a strong contender for the starting pivot role alongside Catalan star Pedri. Moreover, versatile star Dani Olmo had looked much sharper than his prodigy teammate Fermin Lopez, and thus the ace midfield star might have his name in the starting XI after quite a long time.

Attack

Finally, coming to the attack force, while there are no crucial changes expected, the manager might want to test prodigy star Ansu Fati once again. Given that Flick had indicated that the 22-year-old feels at his 100%, Fati might return to the starting XI in place of Club Captain Raphinha's place, starting alongside Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski.

However, the chances still remain significant for the star-studded trio of Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Lewandowski to start once again, given it has been a week gap between their two fixtures. In any case, Barca fans would hope that whoever starts gives their best, playing a crucial role in getting yet another win for the Blaugrana club.