Jofre Carreras is set for a busy night on the left flank for Espanyol in this match, as he will have to deal with Lamine Yamal and Jules Kounde.

The 17-year-old has proven to be a handful for opposing defenders this season, as Yamal has drawn the fourth-most fouls of all players in La Liga, fouled on average 2.27 times per game – the highest of any Barcelona player.

Carreras will be tasked with dropping deep into his defensive half on Sunday, which will put him directly up against Yamal – the ideal matchup to commit a foul.

Jofre Carreras has committed a foul in six out of nine starts this season, averaging 1.31 fouls per 90.

Barcelona have been the most progressive team in La Liga this season, as they have scored 37 goals from 11 games so far, creating the most xG in the league by a notable margin.

Lamine Yamal has been a massive contributor to that, and has registered a goal involvement in 11 out of 14 appearances this season in all competitions.

Barcelona come into this game priced at 1.08 to win pre-match, so the market is expecting a glut of goals from the hosts.

By extension, Lamal is a player to target, given his heavy involvement under Hansi Flick in the final third. There is a strong likelihood he will also take set pieces which will maximise the chances of this selection landing.

Robert Lewandowski has been in fantastic form of late, netting ten goals in his last five games in all competitions. Most recently, he bagged a brace against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, so should be full of confidence.

The Poland international has been the clear target man for Barcelona this season, as the Hansi Flick system perfectly caters to his goalscoring exploits.

Lewandowski spends most of his time in the opposition box, looking to get on the end of crosses, and rebound opportunities.

He has managed two or more shots on target in nine out of 11 league games, averaging 2.18 shots on target per 90 minutes – no other Barcelona player has more.

Expecting Barcelona to dominate this matchup, corners are naturally a target. Espanyol have a tendency to sit deep, especially against top-tier opponents, which can see them concede high corner counts.

Espanyol conceded nine corners against Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano earlier in the season, and nine corners against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Barcelona are averaging 5.82 corners per game this season, rising to 6.75 when filtered to home games only.

Barcelona accrued ten corners against Valladolid, winning that game 7-0. Once again, Barcelona come in as heavy favourites, with the majority of the game expected to be contested in their attacking third.

Marash Kumbulla has made at least one foul in eight out of ten La Liga games this season, averaging 1.47 fouls per 90.

He has also been shown three bookings in that time – a testament to the aggressive nature with which he defends.

Last time out, he made four fouls against Sevilla, and two fouls against Athletic Bilbao in the game prior.

Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao made a combined five fouls against Barcelona in the previous game, with Militao accounting for four of those. The Brazilian often found himself drawn out of position, and was eventually booked.

Kumbulla will play a similar role as the aggressor in his centre back partnership. Leandro Cabrera is averaging just 0.33 fouls per 90, playing as more of a sweeper, forcing Kumbulla to contest the majority of duels.

Alejandro Balde has benefitted massively from the appointment of Hansi Flick, as he has secured a consistent starting role at left back.

He is afforded tons of attacking freedom, often finding himself marauding into the opposition penalty area.

Because of that, he has an average of 0.72 shots per 90, with one shot in six out of 11 games. He has managed three shots in his last two home games, including one effort against Bayern Munich.

Balde got on the scoresheet last time he faced Espanyol, so might be especially looking forward to this fixture. He managed two shots in that game, finding himself in advanced positions as Espanyol sat deep, which should be the case again on Sunday.

Kumbulla will be directly up against Lewandowski for this game, which is an ideal matchup.

The veteran striker has drawn an average of 1.82 fouls per 90 as the focal point of the Barcelona attack. He has drawn at least one foul in each of his last seven consecutive games, and in 12 out of 14 games in all competitions this campaign.

Lewandowski drew four fouls against Real Madrid, as he proved to be a real handful for opposition centre backs – that should be no different here.

Espanyol rank fifth in La Liga for total fouls this season, averaging 13.5 fouls per 90.

Given how comfortable Barcelona were at the Bernabeu, it is no surprise they are such heavy favourites to beat Espanyol at home.

In fact, Barcelona have scored 21 goals in their last five games in all competitions, winning each one by at least a three-goal margin.

Barcelona have been ruthless in the final third, especially prolific at home. They beat Valladolid 7-0 earlier in the season, who were promoted alongside Espanyol last season.

Hansi Flick’s men have landed this selection against the likes of Real Madrid and came close in beating Bayern Munich 4-1 this season.

On the other hand, Espanyol have really struggled on the road, with a record of four losses and one draw. They lost 4-1 to Athletic Club in their most recent game on the road.

We need Barca to win by four goals or more for this leg to land.