The Catalan derby between Espanyol and Barcelona is set to take place on Thursday, 15 May, and it could potentially be a repeat of the 2023 derby, where Barcelona were crowned La Liga champions following a victory at the RCDE Stadium.
For Barcelona to win the league at the home of their city rivals again, Hansi Flick's men will first have to beat Real Madrid this weekend, but if they do come away from El Clasico with all three points, then the dream of winning the title in the home of Espanyol for the second time in three years could quite easily become a reality.
There is one snag in the Barcelona plan, however, as the match could now be played behind closed doors after the behaviour of some Espanyol supporters this weekend.
Espanyol fans to trigger stadium ban?
Last weekend, Espanyol lost to Real Betis 1-0 in the last minute courtesy of a wonder strike of Manchester United loanee, Antony.
The goal sparked furious scenes in the stands of RCDE Stadium, with home fans throwing lighters and other missiles onto the pitch while Antony and his Betis teammates celebrated.
The behaviour in the stands was so bad that the match had to be paused, with the stadium announcer forced to warn fans that the game would not resume until objects had stopped being thrown.
Under normal circumstances, this incident on its own would perhaps not be enough to spark a stadium ban, however, Espanyol fans do have previous.
The club were issued a €3,000 fine and a one-match suspended stadium ban for fan misconduct in October 2024 when fans threw a cup at the referee during a match against Villarreal. At the time, La Liga warned Espanyol and their supporters that any further incidents would trigger the suspension.
On top of that, their fans stormed the pitch back in 2023 after Barcelona last won the title at the RCDE Stadium, so concerns ahead of the upcoming clash are more than justified.
14.05.2023
🇪🇸 Espanyol fans attacked Barcelona players who were celebrating the title in their stadium pic.twitter.com/o8MWghps93— Ultrasshop.com (@ultrasshopcom) May 15, 2023
FGG says: No ban would be a bigger punishment
No fan wants to sit there and watch their biggest rivals win the title in their own backyard, but that is what Espanyol fans should be forced to do next week, providing Barcelona can beat Real Madrid first.
We aren't saying that their fans should get away with throwing missiles onto the pitch, but Spanish officials should delay the stadium ban until the club's next home match and punish them against Barcelona by making them watch their rivals win the title at the RCDE Stadium for the second time in three years.