Postpublished at 5 mins
Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona
Sergi Roberto is back on but looks in some discomfort. Luis Enrique orders his substitutes to warm up. A frantic start but the game has yet to settle.
Summary
Barcelona back on top of La Liga after derby win
Luis Suarez scores twice
Ivan Rakitic gets the other
Espanyol remain 9th in the table
Postpublished at 5 mins
Postpublished at 3 mins
Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona
Whistles from the crowd every time a Barca player touches the ball. Problems for the visitors straight away as Sergi Roberto gets his legs tangled during a challenge and is off the pitch getting treatment.
Image source, ReutersKICK-OFFpublished at 1 min
Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona
Barca need Real Madrid to trip up at some point but first they need to beat Espanyol.
There's a terrific noise inside the ground as we get under way.
The Catalan derbypublished at 19:42 British Summer Time 29 April 2017
Image source, Getty ImagesEspanyol start in ninth place but Quique Sanchez Flores' side are without a win in their last two La Liga matches, following their 1-1 draw with Sporting Gijon on Tuesday.
They have won 13 of their 34 league matches and are currently sitting on 50 points, which Flores is already counting as a victory.
"We are all very focused and we are enjoying it right from the start. We have made the 50 points which for many years we had not achieved," he said.
"We will treat Barca as we treat all teams. We will look at their players and not their moments - we will not change ourselves just because of who our opponents are."
Neymar is backpublished at 19:39 British Summer Time 29 April 2017
Image source, EPAImage caption, Will Neymar keep his cool?
Andres Iniesta is missing for Barcelona after being sidelined by a groin injury but Neymar returns from suspension while Luis Suarez, an unused substitute in the midweek 7-1 win over Osasuna, is also recalled.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Umtiti, Pique, Alba, Rakitic, Busquets, Gomes, Messi, Neymar, Suarez.
Espanyol's side includes former Arsenal winger Jose Antonio Reyes and ex-Manchester City forward Felipe Caicedo. Midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado had a stint at Watford.
Espanyol: Diego Lopez; J Lopez, David Lopez, Reyes, Aaron, Piatti, Fuego, Victor, Jurado, Gerard, Caicedo.
No clowning around for Florespublished at 19:36 British Summer Time 29 April 2017
Ex-Watford coach Quique Sanchez Flores, who has been in charge at Espanyol since June, has a history with Barca boss Luis Enrique.
The two were team-mates at Real Madrid but had a falling out back in 1996, and have had a frosty relationship ever since.
In fact, the two didn't pose for the traditional post-match photo, with Flores saying he was too busy reading a book about clowns to pose for a snap.
"There are so many games and when I ever I get free-time I am reading a book which is really fantastic," Flores said on Friday.
The book was The Clown in You, written by Caroline Dream, if you're interested.
Image source, Getty ImagesMust win for Barcapublished at 19:32 British Summer Time 29 April 2017
Image source, .Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Valencia earlier means Barcelona trail the champions of Europe by three points with four games to go.
Victory is a must for Luis Enrique's men tonight.
The good news is Barca have not lost a La Liga game to Espanyol for eight years.
Barca feeling the heat?published at 19:27 British Summer Time 29 April 2017
Derby day in Catalonia and Barcelona are under pressure less than a week after winning El Clasico.
Image source, Getty ImagesRumours of a Real Madrid demise have turned out to be fake news.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe champions of Spain for the last two seasons are running out of games and one more slip could prove fatal.
Image source, Getty Images