Barcelona can end Saturday still clear of rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga by beating Espanyol in a Catalan derby.
Barca's two-point lead could be temporarily erased if Madrid win at Getafe earlier in the day. Even if it is, the Blaugrana will feel confident about brushing aside the bottom-of-the-table team at the RCDE Stadium.
Barcelona had been clicking into gear in attacking areas before the winter break, thanks to Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann.
The marquee trio should all get on the scoresheet against an Espanyol defence guilty of conceding 34 goals in 18 league games this season.
Date: Saturday, January 4
Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET
TV Info: Premier Sports 2, beIN Sports
Odds
- Espanyol: +580 (bet $100 to win $580)
- Barcelona: -215 (bet $215 to win $100)
- Draw: +355
Messi ended the decade as the undisputed king of the goalscoring charts on the continent:
It's a fitting endorsement of the incredible talents of the greatest player of his generation. The Argentina international is still the catalyst for Barca's success, but he is receiving able support from Suarez and Griezmann.
The latter has taken his time to get up to speed since arriving from Atletico Madrid last summer. However, he now has seven goals and four assists to his credit in league action.
Meanwhile, Suarez is counselling caution against Barca's local rivals, despite Espanyol's lowly position in the table.
He told Sport (h/t Barca's official website): "The derbies are always difficult. You have to be very careful. Espanyol are in a delicate situation and with the level of players that they have, they don't deserve to be where they are now."
It's a point worth making considering how players such as crafty No. 10 Sergi Darder and forward Jonathan Calleri have the technique and intelligence to make a difference in the final third.
Barca's own midfield may struggle to win the scrap for possession, even though Arturo Vidal's aggressive streak would be ideal for the intensity of a derby:
Arturo Vidal made at least 100 more tackles than any other player in Europe's top five leagues in the 2010s.
Víctor Sánchez the only other player to break 1,000. 
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