Off to a perfect start in the competitive Spanish Primera Division, Barcelona and its slew of talent looks to be a club capable of winning multiple championships throughout the 2013-2014 season. Led by a tremendous offense that's anchored by four-time Ballon d'Or Award winner Lionel Messi, Barca has displayed its tough and precise style through each of the team's first 11 matches. Holding onto sole possession of first place in the league, Barcelona hopes another win - this time over eighth place Espanyol - will help them keep distance from Atletico Madrid, the team closest to Barca in the standings. La Liga giant Real Madrid is currently in third position.
Despite the fact that his upcoming opponent has won 10 of 11 league victories - with their lone non-win a 0-0 draw against Osasuna - Espanyol coach Javier Aguirre is confident in his club's ability to play strong football at the Camp Nou despite the fact that they've endured recent struggles. Falling in four of their last six matches, Espanyol has fallen to eighth in the competitive Primera Division, behind giants Barca, Atletico, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bilbao, Getafe and Levante. With a total of 15 points however, Espanyol only sits 5 points behind Villareal for the fourth position and each member knows a strong performance against Barcelona could once again catapult them in the right direction.
"We all know how important the derby with Barcelona is," Aguirre said. "We will go to Camp Nou and try to go all out. We'll have to play with intensity and try to stay focused for the entire 90 minutes. I have total respect for all their top players, but none of them frighten me. If you're scared, you should just stay at home. The numbers are there for us to see but we can't stop and think about them now. The results have not been as good recently but when we beat Atletico everyone said we were the best. I'm staying calm because I know we know what we're doing. People shouldn't throw stones at the team."
In the last five match-ups between the Spanish sides, Barcelona has come out on top on four occassions, outscoring their league rivals by 12 total goals. Making one trip to Camp Nou a season ago and falling 4-0, Espanyol hopes the 2013-2014 trip produces a more positive outcome.
Barcelona vs. Espanyol: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Friday, November 1
TIME: 4:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: beIN Sport
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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