Barcelona vs Espanyol: Where to watch, preview and possible XI

Much-changed Barcelona team face city rivals in Catalan Super Cup encounter in Tarragona.

Paco Alcacer is expected to lead Barcelona's attack against Espanyol Getty

Barcelona will be keen to add another piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet by beating Espanyol in the Catalan Super Cup at the Nou Estadi in Tarragona on 25 October.

Where to watch

Kick-off is set for 8.30pm BST. The game is not scheduled for live broadcast in the UK.

Overview

Lionel Messi scored a late penalty as Barcelona came from behind to beat Valencia 2-3 in an ill-tempered La Liga clash at the Mestalla on 22 October. The Camp Nou club are the holders of the Catalan Super Cup, having beaten Espanyol in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw in 2014.

Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba, Jasper Cillessen and Aleix Vidal are all out through injury. Several first-team players, including the attacking trio of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, have been left out of the squad travelling to Tarragona.

Espanyol produced a dramatic second-half fight back to draw 3-3 against Eibar at the Cornella El-Prat on 22 October. Los Periquitos have lost five of their last six meetings with city rivals Barcelona across all competitions.

Alvaro Vasquez (hamstring) and defender Oscar Duarte (ankle) are both injury doubts and are unlikely to be risked at the Nou Estadi.

What managers say

Luis Enrique: "How we won [against Valencia] says a lot about the character and the spirit of this team, despite the adversities throughout the game, such as Iniesta's injury, which is sad news. But the character is there. The team believe in each other and are desperate to win, but the objective is to do so without suffering so much. It was a Valencia-Barca true to the tradition of this fixture, with tension, intensity and with both teams with chances to win the game right up until the last moment."

Quique Flores: "We have a squad of 22 players and we will see how those with less involvement and less minutes compete. They have trained well and tomorrow will be a good game. I always like to win against Barcelona. It's special, but it is what it is and we will not magnify anything."