La Liga, Matchday 36 on Thursday, 15.05.2025 at 21:30
The Spanish championship is not quite over yet. Of course, all reputable bookmakers with PayPal know that defending the top spot is a mere formality for Barca. After their victory in El Clásico, the game should be over and done with.
If my Espanyol Barcelona Barcelona tip comes in, you can congratulate any Barca fans in your circle of friends on winning La Liga right after the game on Thursday.
Do you remember May 2023? When Barcelona won 4-2 at Espanyol and clinched the championship title there of all places? A derby victory that was humiliating for the home team – loud Barca cheers, blank stares from the “Blanquiazules.”
And now, of all times, there are signs that it could happen again in this stadium. Espanyol is down and out, reeling like a boxer in the twelfth round, while Barça marches through the city with confidence and pride.
But this time, too, it will be an emotionally charged game – with everything that makes a real city derby: rivalry, pride, and the hope for a small sporting miracle. Except that it could once again turn out to be very one-sided.
Espanyol is in a dangerous phase. They have lost three league games in a row – and what weighs even more heavily is the manner in which they lost. Against Betis, for example, they weren’t without their chances, but they were too error-prone at crucial moments.
The defense lacks balance, and offensively, the team relies almost exclusively on individual efforts, mostly from Puado or Cabrera. The last away game against Leganes was lost 1-2, and now the team is facing its second home defeat in a row for the first time this season.
So will the usually stable RCDE Stadium soon be turned into a playground for their city rivals and the venue for their subsequent championship celebrations?
The opponents, on the other hand, are coming like a hurricane. Barça seem to have finally asserted themselves with their 4-3 win in El Clásico. Hansi Flick’s team look focused, balanced, and extremely versatile.
Since the beginning of the year, only two La Liga teams have managed to take points off the Catalans. The rest? They were dispatched – sometimes confidently, sometimes spectacularly.
And now, with the title virtually in the bag, it’s all about bringing it home. Of course, if Real slip up against Mallorca, Barcelona could even be champions before kick-off.
But that could give them an extra boost – playing freely, with a derby atmosphere and a party mood. The only thing that could be more entertaining is the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.
It gets interesting when you look at the history: since the RCDE Stadium opened in 2009, Barça have never lost there in the league. Seven wins, six draws – a flawless record.
And even though the Blaugrana were recently knocked out of the Champions League in Milan and lost the second leg in Dortmund, these were their first two defeats in away games since November 2024.
What’s particularly striking is that they sometimes need time to get going away from home – eight of their last ten La Liga away goals have come after the 60th minute. So if you want to bet live or are speculating on late goals, you should definitely keep that in mind.
As far as the players are concerned, there are clear key figures on both sides. For Espanyol, it’s Javi Puado, who has scored the first goal for the home side in the last two derbies.
In fact, 13 of his last 14 league goals have been his team’s first. So when Espanyol celebrates early, it’s usually thanks to him. But is that enough to bet on him to score the first goal? Probably not.
Even if Puado often scores the first goal for Espanyol, that doesn’t mean it will be 1-0. On my betting slip, that honor is reserved for a very specific Blaugrana player who currently seems to be able to score from any position. Raphinha.
For you sports betting fans, the picture is clear: Espanyol will not go down without a fight, the stadium will be on fire, the crowd will give everything – but against this FC Barcelona side, that’s just not enough.
The individual class, the tactical clarity, the maturity: everything speaks in favor of the visitors. My personal Espanyol Barcelona Barcelona tip is therefore: Barca to win & both teams to score.
That’s realistic, attractive in terms of odds with an average of 2.47 in every good sports betting app – and reflects exactly what we’ve seen in the last few matches between the two city rivals and the course of the season.
If you want to hedge your bets, you can also go for late goals or consider a goal bet from the 60th minute onwards.
And a practical tip to finish with: if you want to play it safe, check out a betting provider that accepts PayPal – faster deposits and withdrawals, which is really convenient, especially for live betting.
That way, you can not only enjoy the game, but also get something back into your account in the best-case scenario. And that feels almost as good as a last-minute goal in the Catalan city derby.
Conclusion: Déjà vu is looming on the east coast – once again, the RCDE Stadium is likely to be the stage on which FC Barcelona will be crowned champions.
The title decision is now just a formality, and there should be little serious resistance from their neighbors, who are in poor form.
FCB will win this match comfortably and secure the La Liga throne once again.
My Espanyol Barcelona Barcelona tip: Barca wins with a handicap of -1.
