In the world of modern sports, it is uncommon to see a layer spend his or her entire career with a single team. With so much money involved, there is always a team with a bank account big enough to lure in the best players the game has to offer. In soccer, the two best players in the world are Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now playing with his fourth professional club, and Lionel Messi, who has spent his entire career with Barcelona. Let’s take a closer at the Espanyol Vs Barcelona affair so you can make your bets against their La Liga odds.
Espanyol Vs Barcelona Game Preview
With both players now in the twilight of their careers, the belief was that Messi would be with Barcelona until he retired, but recent events have created rumors that he might well be looking for a new challenge. You never really know how much truth there is to these stories, although it is worth remembering that this is basically how things began when Ronaldo left Real Madrid to go to Juventus. Things might change if Barcelona can turn things around and win the league, but that is beginning to look unlikely. They will continue to try and run down Real Madrid at the top of La Liga when they host Espanyol on Thursday afternoon. Barcelona are favored by 2 goals, with the total set at 3 ¼.
Why bet on FC Barcelona
The return to play has been nothing short of disastrous for Barcelona, as a slender lead over Real Madrid has now been turned into a 4-poinr deficit, with the defending champions dropping points at an alarming rate. All of that has prompted talk of the manager being fired and Messi moving on. In short, things are a mess right now. Barcelona will have received a little bit of a boost after beating Villareal 4-1 on the road over the weekend, but it was a result that did nothing to impact the standings, with Madrid grinding out another win to stay 4 points clear. On the plus side of things, Barcelona so have the best home record in La Liga and have yet to lose at the Nou Camp, going 15-2-0, while scoring 50 and surrendering 14.
Why bet on RCD Espanyol
While it is not yet mathematically official, Espanyol will be relegated at the end of the season, with a loss here dooming them to the drop. This is a team that is sitting dead last in the league, having amassed just 24 points from 34 games, so the chances of them getting anything out of this one seems slim at best. That said, we should remember that they held Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in their earlier meeting this season, although that one was played at home for Espanyol. Oddly enough, though, the bottom of the league side has more wins on the road than at home, getting 3 of their 5 season wins away from home. Overall, Espanyol are 3-4-10 away from home, scoring 12 and surrendering 25.
General Match Info RCD Espanyol Vs FC Barcelona
- When: Wednesday, July 8 at 4 PM EST
- Where: Nou Camp Stadium, Barcelona
- Espanyol Vs Barcelona Live: beIN
- Money Lines: Espanyol wins +1601 / Barca wins -714 / Draw +633
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
While the 4-1 win for Barcelona over the weekend may be a case of too little too late, it might also be a sign that they have woken up. That could prove to be a problem for Espanyol, so I see Barcelona laying a bit of a beating here.
Pick: Barcelona 5 Espanyol 0
