La Liga Preview: Barcelona Faces Espanyol Test In Catalan Derby As Real Madrid Clashes With In-Form Betis

‎La Liga’s first full weekend of 2026 arrives with a packed set of storylines, from fierce derbies to tense relegation fights and the race for European places.
‎The spotlight falls on the Catalan Derby at the RCDE Stadium, where Espanyol welcomes top-of-the-table Barcelona.
‎It’s a meeting with major implications for both clubs, shaping the title race for Barça and the survival push for Espanyol.
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‎Espanyol vs Barcelona: The Catalan Derby Returns
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‎Espanyol’s Remarkable Resurgence
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‎Espanyol enters 2026 as one of the surprises of the season.
‎Manolo Gonzalez’s team sits fifth in La Liga, boasting 10 wins from 17 matches already an upgrade on last season’s 14th-place finish.

‎Their form has been superb in recent weeks, with five consecutive league wins over Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, Getafe, and Athletic Bilbao.

‎History, however, is not on their side. Espanyol have not beaten Barcelona at home since 2007, though their strong home record this season (six wins from nine) offers hope.
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‎Barcelona’s Relentless Momentum
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‎Barça travel to the RCDE Stadium as league leaders, four points above Real Madrid. Hansi Flick’s side is on a seven-match winning streak, including eight straight league victories, and boasts the best attack in Spain with 51 goals scored.
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‎Defensive uncertainty remains a concern, 20 goals conceded is the highest total among the top seven, but their firepower continues to propel them forward.
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‎With Ronald Araujo back from a mental-health break and potential returns for Pedri and Dani Olmo, Barcelona will aim to maintain control of the title race before shifting attention to the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
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‎Predicted Lineups
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‎Espanyol XI:
‎Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Gonzalez, Edu, Lozano; Dolan, Fernandez, Milla

‎Barcelona XI:
‎J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; F Torres
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‎Prediction: Espanyol 1–2 Barcelona
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‎Espanyol’s form makes this a dangerous fixture for Barcelona, but Flick’s men are expected to grind out a narrow but vital victory.
‎Celta Vigo vs Valencia

‎Celta’s Battle for Stability
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‎Celta sit seventh with 23 points from 17 matches, though their campaign has been defined by stalemates and inconsistent home form just one home win all season.
‎After ending 2025 with a goalless draw against Real Oviedo, they aim to begin the new year with renewed attacking sharpness.
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‎Valencia’s Struggles Continue
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‎Valencia’s season has been nothing short of turbulent. Sitting 17th and just one point above the relegation zone, Los Che have managed only 16 goals in 17 games and remain winless away from home.
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‎Carlos Corberán’s side ended 2025 with a 1–1 draw against Mallorca, but their last league victory was a narrow win over Levante in late November.
‎Despite a historically strong record versus Celta, the current form paints a worrying picture.
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‎Predicted Lineups
‎Celta Vigo XI:
‎Radu; Fernandez, Starfelt, Alonso; Rueda, Beltran, Roman, Carreira; Swedberg, Jutgla, Zaragoza
‎Valencia XI:
‎Agirrezabala; Correia, Tarrega, Copete, Gaya; Rioja, Guerra, Pepelu, Almeida; Duro, Beltran

‎Prediction: Celta Vigo 2–1 Valencia
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‎Celta’s poor home form and Valencia’s terrible away record cancel each other out making this evenly balanced. Still, the Sky Blues may edge it through midfield control and superior creativity.

‎Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao

‎Osasuna Eye Three Straight Wins
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‎Osasuna enter this fixture in a confident mood after consecutive victories over Alaves (3–0) and Huesca in the Copa del Rey.
‎Currently 12th, they remain safely above the relegation zone and boast strong home form with 16 points from eight matches.
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‎Athletic Bilbao Searching for Answers
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‎Athletic Bilbao closed 2025 with consecutive losses to Espanyol and Celta Vigo, dropping to eighth in the table. Their away performances have been inconsistent, with only seven points collected on the road.
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‎Ernesto Valverde’s side finished fourth last season, but early signs in 2026 suggest a tough battle ahead if they hope to return to European competition. They do, however, reinstate Dani Vivian from suspension.
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‎Predicted Lineups
‎Osasuna XI:
‎Herrera; Rosier, Catena, Herrando, Bretones; Moncayola, Torro; Ruben Garcia, Oroz, Munoz; Budimir
‎Athletic Bilbao XI:
‎Simon; Gorosabel, Paredes, Vivian, Boiro; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Sancet, N Williams; I Williams
‎Prediction: Osasuna 1–1 Athletic Bilbao
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‎Both sides have been inconsistent, and with Athletic struggling defensively, a stalemate looks the most likely outcome.

‎Real Madrid vs Real Betis

‎Madrid Looking to Restart the Title Race
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‎Real Madrid starts 2026 in second place, four points behind Barcelona. Depending on the Catalan Derby result, the gap could widen to seven before they kick off on Sunday.
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‎Their challenge has been complicated by the news that Kylian Mbappé will miss games due to a knee injury, forcing Xabi Alonso to rotate carefully.
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‎Madrid did beat Betis 2–0 at home last season, but their form before the break was inconsistent, and they cannot afford further slip-ups.
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‎Betis Continue To Impress
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‎Real Betis enters the year in sixth place and has proven competitive under Manuel Pellegrini. They even won the last meeting between the two clubs, defeating Madrid 2–1 in March 2025, and also boast a memorable 2–0 Bernabéu win from 2019.

‎Betis remain dangerous, disciplined, and tactically secure capable of troubling any top-six side.