On Wednesday evening, Barcelona welcomed Espanyol to Camp Nou for the first leg of their last-16 clash in the Copa del Rey.
It was Espanyol that took a shock ninth-minute lead courtesy of Felipe Caicedo, but a Lionel Messi double saw Barcelona lead 2-1 as the teams headed down the tunnel at the break.
The home side scored a third in the 49th minute when Gerard Pique poked home from close range and it got worse for Espanyol in the 72nd minute when Hernan Perez was sent off for picking up a second yellow card.
Pape Diop was also sent off in the 76th minute as Espanyol finished with nine and Barcelona still had time to score a fourth late on through Neymar to secure a comfortable win.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
Evening all! Barcelona versus Espanyol take two then. The Catalan rivals met in La Liga just four days ago, when the points were shared in a 0-0 draw. Now their attention switches to the Copa del Rey as they meet for the first leg of their last-16 clash. It is a real grudge match due to the fierce rivalry between the pair and it would be fair to say that the fixture at the weekend was feisty. Espanyol will be looking to keep this tie competitive ahead of the second leg at El Prat! Stay with Sports Mole for live updates.
Before we get down to the details ahead of the match, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news here. What changes have been made from the weekend's match...
TEAMS:
BARCA: Ter Stegen; Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Alba; Iniesta, Busquets, Turan; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
ESP: Pau; J.Lopez, Roco, Raillo, Alvarez; Diop, Abraham; Perez, Asensio, Moreno; Caicedo
So there we have it. The big news in the Barcelona team is that there is a debut for Turkish midfielder Arda Turan, who joined the club last summer, but has only just been cleared to play due to Barcelona's transfer embargo. The other player in the same situation - Aleix Vidal - is on the bench. There are two changes from the team that faced Espanyol in the league - Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Turan replacing Claudio Bravo and Ivan Rakitic. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all start for the home side.
As for Espanyol, head coach Constantin Galca has made three changes to his XI tonight, with Antonio Raillo, Gerard Moreno and Abraham coming into the team in place of Alvaro Gonzalez, Joan Jordan and Burgui. Moreno will join Felipe Caicedo and Hernan Perez in the final third, while there is also a spot in the side for on-loan Real Madrid attacker Marco Asensio.
So there we have it. The two teams are in and we are now little over 30 minutes from kickoff at Camp Nou. Of course, nothing will be decided in this first leg tonight, but Espanyol will be keen to stay in the tie ahead of the return match on home soil. Espanyol have a rotten record against their great rivals, however, having not beaten them in any competition since 2009.
Espanyol's last trip to Camp Nou ended in a 5-1 defeat, but they will have gained confidence from their performance at the weekend. Barcelona shaded the clash, but Espanyol were well worth a point in what was a match full of incident. Indeed, there have been accusations of racist abuse towards Neymar from small sections of the crowd, while there were some fierce challenges from both teams.
Barcelona actually kicked off their 2015-16 Copa del Rey campaign at the start of December due to their involvement in the Club World Cup. They were surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at Villanovense, but beat the lower-league team 6-1 at Camp Nou to advance. With Real Madrid expelled from the competition, Barcelona will fancy their chances of winning Copa title number 28.
Indeed, Barcelona are the holders of the Spanish Cup having beaten Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the final last season. The Catalan giants have been present in five of the last seven finals and understandably, are the favourites to win another crown this season. It is behind both La Liga and the Champions League in terms of importance for Luis Enrique, but it is still a major trophy.
The last time that Barcelona tasted defeat in any competition was at the start of October, when they lost 2-1 at Sevilla. Since then, they have won 13 of their 18 matches, with that run of form seeing them advance into the latter stages of the Champions League and top La Liga. Luis Enrique's side are actually second in the Spanish league as it stands on 39 points, but have a game in hand over leaders Atletico Madrid, who currently top the pile on 41 points. The atmosphere is building here!
As for Espanyol, this season they will be attempting to win the Copa del Rey for the fifth time in their history, which is the same number as Real Union. Who has won it more times than those two teams? Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and... Real Zaragoza. Come on, hands up, who had Zaragoza, who have won it six times! Nice statistic that.
Espanyol have not won the Spanish Cup since 2006, however, when they thumped Zaragoza 4-1 in the final at the Bernabeu. The White and Blues, who were knocked out of last season's Copa by the eventual finalists Athletic Bilbao, beat Levante 3-2 on aggregate in the last round to set up this two-legged affair. That said, they have only won one of their last five games in this competition.
Espanyol's league form this season has been a bit patchy. Galca's side have collected 21 points from their 18 matches, which has left them in 12th position in the table. They have only won one of their last six in the league, however, and have had a lot of problems with consistency this season. La Liga will be the club's main focus once again this term, but the chance to get one over on Barcelona makes this competition more important than it might usually have been!
PREDICTION! Difficult to back anything other than a home win tonight. I think that Espanyol could make it a frustrating evening if they get through the opening 25, 30 minutes without conceding, but ultimately I believe that Barcelona will have enough to win. For me, 2-0 Barcelona at Camp Nou.
KICKOFF! Not quite a full house inside the stadium, but there is a good atmosphere, which is to be expected as these two rivals clash once more. Espanyol were really strong defensively when the pair met at the weekend and will need a performance of that class to have any hope of securing a positive result in the first leg of this last-16 clash. Right, the away side get the first period underway here...
... it has been a decent opening two minutes from Espanyol, with the away side managing to exert some early pressure down the right. Barcelona quickly regain possession, however, and begin to pass across the pitch. Suarez is already looking to get on the shoulder of Roco here!
Neymar takes it upon himself to have a strike from distance after being allowed to advance to the edge of the Espanyol box, but his effort was always deflecting wide of Pau Lopez's post.
Espanyol have the chance to threaten as Moreno turns just past the half-way line before spotting the run of Perez, but the through ball was too strong. Barcelona advance down the other end moments later and eventually Turan delivers towards Neymar, but his header is wide.
Busquets heads wide from a corner as Barcelona continue to look dangerous here.
Suarez came in for some rough treatment at the weekend and following a heavy challenge from Raillo, there is a clash between both sets of players. The referee is on hand to calm proceedings, but there is a real sense of ill-feeling as Diop is then hacked down by Busquets!
CHANCE! First real chance for Barcelona as Messi slides a wonderful pass into Neymar, who goes outside his full-back, but Javi Lopez just manages to get a foot on the ball, before Pau Lopez came out to close the angle. It is the home side very much pressing for an opener here.
GOAL! Barcelona 0-1 Espanyol (Caicedo)
Oh my word! The Espanyol fans have gone bonkers here! The visitors take the lead in the ninth minute as Asensio carries the ball into the Barcelona half before sizing up Pique and playing in Caicedo, who finishes from close range. Excellent from both Asensio and Caicedo there!
BOOKING! Abraham (Espanyol) is booked for a late challenge on Turan.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-1 Espanyol (Messi)
That did not take long! Barcelona level the scores at Camp Nou after Iniesta slides a wonderful pass into Messi, who of course, finishes into the bottom corner. It was poor defending from Espanyol that allowed Suarez to regain the ball, while the pass from Iniesta was just sensational.
Espanyol lined up with an attacking XI and they are really forcing the issue here. That approach is to be admired, but it is leaving Barcelona with all sorts of space to exploit in the final third.
SAVE! Victor Alvarez is not afraid to get forward for Espanyol and the number five's excellent run down the left brings a foul from Alves. It is Abraham that delivers towards the far post and Ter Stegen has to tip it over the crossbar. What a super opening 17 minutes we have had here!
BOOKING! Moreno (Espanyol) is booked for a very late tackle on Turan.
It must be said that Turan has settled effortlessly into this Barcelona team. The Turkish international had a poor record against the Catalan giants during his time with Atletico Madrid, but he will not have to worry about that now. If you can't beat them, then you have to join them.
Not too much to report in terms of chances in the last few minutes, but it is Barcelona that continue to dominate the ball. That said, Espanyol are really threatening in the final third as they continue to commit Moreno, Asensio, Perez and Caicedo each time they break forward here.
CLOSE! Iniesta picks out another super pass into Neymar, but the Brazilian's low strike flashes across the face of goal. Iniesta is absolutely running the show at the moment!
PENALTY SHOUT! Barcelona want a penalty as Neymar goes down inside the box under a late challenge from Javi Lopez, but the referee says no. Neymar stays on the deck in the box!
CHANCE! Opportunity for the away side this time as Perez races down the right before delivering onto the head of Caicedo, but the striker cannot make proper contract under pressure!
Again it is wonderful work from Neymar, who drives down the left before cutting back and picking out Messi, but the Argentine's strike is blocked on the edge of the box. Neymar was actually fed after another sensational piece of work from Iniesta, who is on top form in this game.
CHANCE! Yet another chance for Neymar as Messi picks out the Brazilian at the far post, but Javi Lopez just about does enough to force the attacker to fire wide from a tight angle!
Espanyol are going to need a lot of luck if they are to secure a result this evening and they have managed to survive a host of dangerous moments since conceding that equaliser. Messi, Iniesta and Neymar all look in fine form this evening as the home side continue to force the issue.
BOOKING! Neymar (Barcelona) is booked following a clash with Moreno.
Espanyol have a problem with Caicedo here as the striker hits the deck following a challenge with Busquets. There did not seem to be too much in it, but Caicedo seems in a lot of pain...
... Caicedo is back on his feet and Alba is not happy about it!
It does appear that Caicedo will be fit to continue here and it seems that Barcelona feel that the striker was trying to waste some time or stop the flow! It would make sense. Little over five minutes of the first period remaining and Espanyol are more than holding their own here.
Caicedo is back on the ground! Surely a change will need to be made...
... ESPANYOL SUB! Indeed the change is made as Jordan replaces Caicedo.
Barcelona seemed to have upped the tempo in the last couple of minutes and Jordan's first major involvement for Espanyol is bundling into the back of Messi, conceding a free kick...
... GOAL! Barcelona 2-1 Espanyol (Messi)
Messi has hit the crossbar with a couple of free kicks in recent weeks, but this one is into the back of the net. It is a stunning effort from the Argentine, who scores via the crossbar. Pau Lopez might have done a little better, but the ball was moving all over the place!
BOOKING! Suarez (Barcelona) is booked for dissent.
BOOKING! Pau Lopez (Espanyol) is also booked for clashing with Suarez.
HALF-TIME: Barcelona 2-1 Espanyol
So there we have it. The referee brings a fiery first period to a close, with Barcelona leading Espanyol 2-1 in the first leg of this last-16 Copa del Rey clash. It was the visitors that took the lead in the ninth minute through Caicedo, but a double from Messi sees Barcelona lead at the break.
STATS! Barcelona have dominated the possession with 70%, while they have had nine attempts - four of which were on target. Espanyol, meanwhile, have also had two attempts, but one of those found the back of the net. There have also already been five bookings at Camp Nou tonight.
BENCH WATCH! Barcelona have a number of attacking options on their bench this evening, with the likes of Munir, Rakitic and Vidal all in reserve. Espanyol, meanwhile, have already been forced into one change - Jordan for Caicedo, but Burgui and Sevilla are also on the bench tonight.
RESTART! Here we go then - both sets of players re-join us on the pitch for the second period. Will we have more goals at Camp Nou? Let's hope so! The hosts resume the action in this Copa clash...
... ESPANYOL SUB! Sevilla replaces Asensio for the away side.
As it stands, a 2-1 defeat for Espanyol would actually be a good result ahead of the second leg, but anything higher than that and Barcelona would be the massive favourites. I am finding it hard to deny Barcelona scoring at least once more tonight. They are just so, so dangerous.
Espanyol have already made two of their three permitted changes this evening and therefore those on the field will need to put some serious work in! Barcelona again break forward and Neymar attempts to slide a pass into Suarez, but the forward was in an offside position.
GOAL! Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol (Pique)
Barcelona have their third of the evening as Messi gets to the by-line before sliding a low cross towards Pique and the centre-back just cannot miss from close range. Three goals to one.
MATCH PIC!
BOOKING! Diop (Espanyol) is booked for a late challenge on Busquets.
Another half-chance for the home side as Turan breaks down the right before attempting to pick out Messi inside the box, but two blue and white shirts are in the way. Messi then clashes with Pau Lopez once again, but Suarez is on hand to pull his teammate away from the altercation.
Pique has Messi to thank for a lot...
Replays have shown that Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez actually stood on Messi's ankle during that coming-together inside the box. Poor from the stopper it must be said, very poor.
Not an awful lot to report in terms of chances in the last couple of minutes, but the tempo remains high and you do sense that there could be a red card on the way here!
BOOKING! Perez (Espanyol) is booked for a late challenge on Neymar.
Messi fires wide of the post after another quick Barcelona passing sequence.
ESPANYOL SUB! Espanyol make their final change - Burgui for Abraham.
CHANCE! Messi has a wonderful chance to complete his hat-trick after a driven cross from Neymar, but the ball hits Messi and just drops past the post! Almost a bizarre goal!
CHANCE! Turan has the chance of a debut goal as Messi plays in the Turkish international, but his strike from a wide angle is straight at Pau Lopez, who has been very busy tonight!
Messi again works his way into the Espanyol box, but the Argentine is penalised for a foul on Victor Alvarez. Iniesta and Suarez once again combined in the build-up - wonderful.
Messi wins another free kick just outside the box after a late Diop challenge...
... SAVE! Messi leaves it to Neymar and the Brazilian's effort is palmed away by Pau Lopez!
BARCELONA SUBS! Vidal and Rakitic for Alves and Turan. Debut for Vidal!
Turn can be delighted with his 68 minutes of football this evening, while Vidal has now been given the chance to impress for the final 20 minutes or so. Vidal will replace Alves at right-back and that is where Enrique plans on using the Spaniard this season. Another interesting option!
RED CARD! PEREZ! Espanyol are reduced to 10 men as Hernan Perez picks up a second yellow card for a late challenge on Alba. In truth, a red card was coming here.
BOOKING! Pique (Barcelona) is now booked for clashing with Victor Alvarez.
SAVE! Pau Lopez makes a super point-blank stop to deny Suarez after some slack defending inside the box. Tensions are threatening to boil over once again here...
... BOOKING! Burgui (Espanyol) is booked for dissent.
RED CARD! DIOP! Espanyol are down to nine men as the referee produces a red card for something that Diop said to Suarez in the ear-shot of the referee. Wow!
BOOKING! Messi (Barcelona) is booked for clashing with Roco.
BOOKING! Roco (Espanyol) is also booked for clashing with Messi.
CHANCE! Suarez comes close to continuing his fine scoring form after meeting a cross at the far post, but his header from close range is just wide. Should be 4-1 Barcelona here.
Well, to say that this has been an eventful match would be putting it lightly. There have been four goals, two red cards and what seems like a thousand yellows. I would be surprised if we had seen the last of the goals as Barcelona continue to force the issue against nine men.
Neymar is having a lot of fun out there at the moment as he continues to show-boat, but as expected, it is not going down too well with the away team. I feel another rash challenge!
GOAL! Barcelona 4-1 Espanyol (Neymar)
Barcelona score a fourth here as Neymar finds the back of the net following a super pass from Messi. It was a wonderful chip from the Argentine and Neymar volleyed into the corner!
Rakitic fires just wide of the post as Barcelona continue to search for more goals here.
We will play four additional minutes in this match.
Espanyol are just about surviving at the moment as Barcelona continue to commit players in the final third. The visitors have hardly been out of their half since the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: Barcelona 4-1 Espanyol
So there we have it. The referee brings the second period to a close at Camp Nou with Barcelona running out 4-1 winners against their nine-man rivals Espanyol. What an evening of football! Thanks for joining Sports Mole for the action once again. Until next time!
