Espanyol vs Barcelona LIVE - Scintillating Lionel Messi shines as Barca cruise to victory

(Getty)

Barcelona inflicted further misery on Catalan rivals Espanyol when the sides met for their first derby of the season.

Lionel Messi was once again the star of the show, scoring a brilliant solo goal and a wonderful free-kick as Barca proved far too good.

Re-live all the action below.

What time does it start?

Espanyol vs Barcelona kicks off at 7:45pm (GMT)

Lionel Messi is in form for Barcelona (Reuters)

Where can I watch it?

The match will be shown live on Eleven Sports 1 from 7:40pm and on their La Liga TV channel from kick-off. Fans can also watch the match on Eleven Sports through iOS mobile and tablet apps as well as on Android mobiles.

Highlights will be shown at 10:30pm on Eleven Sports’ La Liga TV channel.

Player to watch

Ousmane Dembele: It was yet another impressive outing for the Frenchman against Villarreal. He was far and away the most potent threat for his side, particularly in the first half when he assisted Gerard Pique for the opening goal. Espanyol will no doubt look to put more behind the ball in this derby, but Dembele’s pace could unpick such a tactic.

Form guide

Espanyol: LWLLLW

Barcelona: DLDWWW

Odds

Espanyol to win: 19/4

Barcelona to win: 13/25

Draw: 10/3

Prediction

Espanyol 1-4 Barcelona

Key Points

• Espanyol XI: Diego Lopez, Javi Lopez, David Lopez, Duarte, Didac Vila, Hernan Perez, Melendo, Victor Sanchez, Roca, Darder, Borja Iglesias
• Barcelona XI: ter-Stegen, Alba, Lenglet, Pique, Semedo, Vidal, Busquets, Rakitic, Dembele, Suarez, Messi

[8 December 2018 15:33 · Jack de Menezes]

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's La Liga derby between Espanyol and Barcelona.

The match is due to kick-off at 19:45 GMT, with team news released an hour before when we'll begin our full in-depth build-up.

[8 December 2018 19:00 · Callum Rice-Coates]

The teams are in ahead of tonight's Catalan derby:

[8 December 2018 19:07 · Callum Rice-Coates]

There's a lot to play for this evening. Barcelona can move three points clear at the top of La Liga with a win, after Sevilla dropped points at Valencia earlier on. 

For Espanyol, it's an opportunity to return to form and record a win over their fierce rivals. They began the season excellently, but have lost three games in a row and fallen off the pace at the top. 

Expect a raucous atmosphere and a high intensity game.

[8 December 2018 19:18 · Callum Rice-Coates]

  ↵Recent history suggests Espanyol have their work cut out tonight. They will be hopeful, though, given their strong home record this season, of avoiding defeat.

[8 December 2018 19:28 · Callum Rice-Coates]

Keep an eye on Ousmane Dembele this evening. The young Frenchman is beginning to make his mark at Barcelona, and starts ahead of Philippe Coutinho.

He's got a goal and two assists from his last three appearances. The 21-year-old still has room for development, but he'll be a threat tonight.

[8 December 2018 19:35 · Callum Rice-Coates]

Barcelona will be familiar with Espanyol's danger men, too. Striker Borja Iglesias has scored eight goals in 14 games this season, while young midfielder Marc Roca earned a recent call-up to the Spain under-21 squad. 

They have strength in depth on the bench too: the likes of Piatti, Granero and Leo Baptistao. This won't be an easy task for Barcelona.

[8 December 2018 19:36 · Callum Rice-Coates]

Not long to go now...

[8 December 2018 19:44 · Callum Rice-Coates]

The teams are out at the RCDE Stadium. Kick off is imminent.

[8 December 2018 19:46 · Callum Rice-Coates]

Barcelona, playing in pink tonight, get us underway. Can they move three points clear at the top with a win over their city rivals?

[8 December 2018 19:51 · Callum Rice-Coates]

Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona

4 minutes

As expected, Barcelona are moving the ball around patiently in the early stages. Espanyol look organised and in good shape, though, and there haven't been any chances of note for either side yet.