Espanyol manager confident of pulling off a surprise vs Barcelona – ‘They have weak points’

After two crucial wins against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid last week, FC Barcelona are back in action on Sunday night with another important clash as they take on local rivals RCD Espanyol in the Catalan derby.

It will be a much-anticipated clash in Catalonia, with Espanyol set to play against Barcelona having earned promotion back to La Liga, with the game taking place at the Parakeets’ former home in Monjtuic.

Ahead of the game, Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez reflected on the importance of the encounter and insisted that his team are capable of springing a surprise against the in-form Barcelona.

“I have been around for many years and have experienced them in all colours. The derby is a different match and we will go out to defend the badge and the shirt, with all our pride,” the Espanyol boss said.

“We must go out to compete at our maximum, run like animals and leave our skin to counteract their potential. Barça has very good qualities but also weak points.”

Elaborating on how to hurt Barça on the night, Gonzalez acknowledged the complexity but pointed to examples of similarly positioned teams, saying:

“It is complicated, but both Getafe, and Athletic competed well against them. I believe it is about being organised, not making mistakes in details, and taking advantage of specific moments where we can hurt them. We must be very effective in everything we do.”

Addressing the widespread scepticism about Espanyol’s chances heading into the match, Gonzalez remained defiant, saying:

“We are not dead although almost everyone wants to write us off; the most important thing will be to respect the match plan and not deviate.

“We have demonstrated that the team is capable of standing up to major teams. The key is to regain that confidence and mentality, like in the first 60 minutes at the Bernabeu or the 90 minutes at the Metropolitano. If we come out like that, it will be difficult to knock us down.”

Gonzalez also outlined how Espanyol plan on overcoming Barça’s offside trap. which has proved to be a big success this season, saying:

“The key is trying to put the player in the proper context so they can make a final pass. The match plan goes in that direction. The offside is often broken by running in a certain way to avoid getting caught offside,” he said.

“Defending like this means the opponent can score goals against you. It exposes you to risk. It is heads or tails. They have strong finishing up front; they can expose themselves to that.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo