Barcelona have been back playing home matches at the Camp Nou for a couple of months now, but they face a toxic away fixture this weekend when they take on their city rivals, Espanyol, at the RCDE Stadium.
Matches between these two Catalan clubs are rarely tame affairs, and tensions off the pitch have risen in recent years. Most notably, back in 2023, Barcelona won La Liga at Espanyol's home, and the home supporters responded by invading the pitch after the full-time whistle to try and attack the Barcelona players and staff who were celebrating their achievement.
While fines and bans were dished out after that incident, there are still concerns about fan behaviour each time a debry takes place, particularly when the match is being played at the RCDE Stadium.
The match this weekend is of particular significance, as it is the first time that Joan Garcia will return to Espanyol after making the controversial switch to Barcelona in the summer.
14.05.2023
— Ultrasshop.com (@ultrasshopcom) May 15, 2023
🇪🇸 Espanyol fans attacked Barcelona players who were celebrating the title in their stadium pic.twitter.com/o8MWghps93
Espanyol enforce a strict ban on Barcelona shirts
Ahead of the match on Saturday night, Espanyol have come out to enforce an extraordinary set of rules on visiting supporters in relation to what they can and can't wear at the stadium.
All Barcelona fans with tickets for the match are prohibited from wearing anything that would identify them as a Barcelona supporter. A statement from Espnayol read:
“Access to the RCDE Stadium with any type of garment, scarf or identifying symbol of FC Barcelona is strictly prohibited. Any person wearing shirts, scarves, caps, flags or any other distinctive items of the visiting team will not be allowed to enter the stadium.”
Espanyol have warned that anyone who breaches these rules will face disciplinary action, which could include stadium bans and fines.
The club have also confirmed that protective netting has been installed at both ends of the pitch to ensure the safety of supporters and players on the pitch.
FGG says: A match that becomes more toxic each season
The fact that Barcelona temporarily played their home matches at the city's Olympic Stadium over the past couple of years could perhaps have been the trigger to turn this rivalry sour. The Estadi Lluis Companys was once the home of Espanyol, after all.