Welcome to RCDE Stadium! ! ! Espanyol’s home ground Cornella is the first site La Liga The hosts and Barcelona will kick off the new year in style when they meet in one of the most anticipated Catalan derbies in recent memory as 2026 begins. Both teams are in red-hot form in the league, with the Spaniards believing this is their best chance of finally defeating their local foes, while Barca are seeking a ninth straight league win to maintain their healthy advantage at the top of the table. This should be fun and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment on all the action. Vamos!
line-up
barcelona
Starting eleven: Joan; Conde, Cubas, Martin, Balde; Eric, De Jong; Yamal, Raphinha, Rashford; Phelan (4-2-3-1)
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Substitute: Ter Stegen (centre-back), Szczesny (centre-back), Joffre, Casado, Bernal, Pedri, Fermin, Tommy, Olmo, DeRoro, Rooney, Lewandowski
Spanish
Starting eleven: Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Urco, Lozano; Dolan, Exposito, Mira; Roberto (4-2-3-1)
Substitute: Fortuño (GK), Rubio, Riddle, Sanchez, Salinas, Tratz, Gomez, Puado, Colleosho, Jofre, Rocca, Keck
Competition information
match/round: 2025-26 La LigaMatch Day 18
date/time: Saturday 3 January 2026, 9pm CET/WAT (Barcelona and Nigeria), 8pm GMT (UK), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (US), 1.30am IST (Sunday, India)
site: RCDE Stadium, CornellaCatalonia, Spain
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referee: Victor Garcia Verdura
VAR:Juan Luis Pulido Santana
How to watch
on tv: Not available (US, UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), mobilestar (Spain), others
online: ESPN+ (US), Disney Plus (UK), FanCode (India), Mobilestar+ (Spain), others
Game Day Theme Rules
We don’t have too many rules here, but here are a few things to keep in mind when incorporating our game day theme:
Even if the referee is bad or we lose the game Watch swearing. This is not necessary. return, Do not discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do so will be warned, Anyone who posts the link will be banned immediately. at last, be kind to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend each other.
Happy gaming! Always and forever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
