Barcelona are in no hurry to push forward, and they seem content to sit back and knock the ball between themselves as they run down the clock. They've certainly performed brilliantly this evening.
90' +2
Espanyol try to push forward on a late foray into the Barcelona half of the pitch, but their attempted attacking move comes to a disappointing end and the home side are easily able to hold onto their clean sheet for the time being.
90'
L. Suárez has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by O. Dembélé.
GOAL! It's another for Barcelona! Dembele breaks down the right wing and quickly sends an excellent pass into the box and over to Saurez, who meets it well and easily beats Pau with a brilliant low finish into the far corner of the net.
What a way for Dembele to mark his debut! His early pass into the penalty area was wonderfully weighted, and it perfectly picked out Suarez in a pocket of space.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
89'
It's all Barcelona at the moment as they patiently knock the ball around on the halfway line. Understandably, Espanyol have lost all belief, and they're no longer pressing with the same intensity they managed earlier in the evening.
87'
Piqué has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by I. Rakitić.
GOAL! Pique makes it 4-0! Rakitic's cross in from the corner is a great one and picks out Pique, who rises high above Mario Hermoso and manages to easily beat Pau with his downward header on the edge of the six-yard box.
That was a wonderful cross from Rakitic, who has really impressed this evening. He's controlled the game really well in the middle of the pitch, and his balls into the box have been excellent all night long.
86'
Messi decides to shoot from this free-kick, but his curling shot smashes into the wall of Espanyol players camped on the edge of the penalty area and deflects just wide of the far post.
85'
Rakitic chips a deft cross into the heart of the box, but it's well dealt with by Espanyol. Barcelona quickly come back once again, and this time it's Suarez who's clumsily fouled and wins Barcelona a free-kick in another promising position.
84'
P. Diop gets yellow.
Messi embarks on a lovely run as he weaves his way through a sea of blue and white shirts. He looks set to reach the visitors' penalty area, but Diop is there to cynically foul him, resulting in a free-kick and a yellow card.
83'
Suarez and Messi play a lovely one-two between themselves on the edge of the Espanyol box before the latter manages to get a shot away, but his curling strike fails to result in a fourth goal and sails a few yards over the crossbar.
82'
What a strike by Didac! The substitute unleashes a rocket of a shot from just outside of the Barcelona penalty area that looks set to find the back of the net, but Ter Stegen pulls off a wonderful diving save to deny him.
Minute
Description
81'
Paulinho goes close! A lovely, curling cross from Suarez beats every defender inside the box before finding Paulinho over at the far post, but the Brazilian can't quite hit the target with his poked, close-range effort.
80'
Another great chance for Suarez! More good play by Alba over on the left-hand side of the Espanyol penalty area allows him to set up Suarez in front of goal, but the Uruguayan can't quite get a shot away and has the ball poked over to the left wing at the last possible moment.
79'
Baptistao is presented with an opportunity to test Ter Stegen with a shot from just inside the home side's box, but he's well dealt with by Pique and can't get the better of the centre-back.
77'
André Gomes enters the game and replaces Andrés Iniesta.
Andre Gomes has come on to replace Iniesta in what will be Barcelona's final change of the evening.
76'
Garcia is poorly fouled by Paulinho, resulting in a free-kick for Espanyol in a promising position 30 yards away from goal. A chipped cross is fired over to Moreno at the far post, but it's woefully overhit and bounces behind for a goal-kick.
75'
Dídac Vilá enters the game and replaces Darder.
Espanyol have made their third and final switch, with Darder making way for Didac Vila.
74'
Aarón Martín gets yellow.
Ouch! Dembele showcases lovely skill over on the right wing as he takes on and beats Aaron, but the defender then brings him crashing to the ground with a hefty challenge that results in the referee's yellow card coming out once again.
73'
Paulinho enters the game and replaces Sergio Busquets.
Busquets has made way for Paulinho, who comes on to make his home debut.
71'
Darder gets yellow.
Lopez is penalised for handball, but it looked as if the ball hit the left-hand side chest. Darder certainly isn't happy with the decision, and he argues with the referee before being booked for dissent.
70'
Barcelona are almost able to carve out yet another chance on goal after quickly winning the ball back, but Espanyol are just about able to deal with the danger over on the left wing.
68'
Marc Navarro enters the game and replaces Víctor Sánchez.
O. Dembélé enters the game and replaces Deulofeu.
Espanyol have made a change, with Marc Navarro coming on to take the place of Sanchez.
A huge roar goes around the stadium as Ousmane Dembele comes on to replace Deulofeu and make his Barcelona debut.
67'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Jordi Alba.
Once again, that was great play by Alba, but that goal showcased just how good Messi is. He was surrounded by blue and white shirts by somehow still managed to find the back of the net.
GOAL! Messi wraps up his hat-trick! The Argentine links up really well with Suarez and sets up the latter to shoot, but he's closed down well by Lopez and can't get the better of the midfielder. Instead, the Uruguayan pokes the ball back to Alba, who quickly tees up Messi to easily beat Pau with a lovely low strike.
65'
The pace of the game has slowed down somewhat, with Barcelona seemingly contact to sit back and allow Espanyol time on the ball before hitting them on the counter-attack. The visitors are starting to carve out a few more chances for themselves, but they're still struggling to cause too many problems for the home side.
63'
Alba darts through the middle of the pitch on a wonderful run before teeing up Messi. The Argentine heads towards the penalty area and then works the ball into the path of Deulofeu, who loses out to Aaron before the linesman's flag is raised for offside.
61'
Baptistao goes close! Aaron fires a great cross into the middle of the Barcelona box and straight to Baptistao. The Brazilian takes a quich touch, spins and shoots, but Umtiti is there to throw his body in the way of the effort before it can test Ter Stegen.
60'
Víctor Sánchez gets yellow.
Sanchez catches Alba with a flailing arm as they battle for the ball over on the right wing and becomes the latest player to receive a yellow card.
59'
Deulofeu looks set to find a way into the Espanyol penalty area once again after getting the better of his marker out wide, but he's closed down well and has to settle for a throw-in instead.
57'
Sergio García enters the game and replaces P. Piatti.
Espanyol have made their first alteration of the night, with Sergio Garcia coming on to replace Piatii.
56'
More good play by Barcelona almost sets up Iniesta to get a shot away from inside the visitors' penalty area, but this time Pau is there to dive on Messi's though-ball before it can reach the Spanish midfielder.
55'
Big miss by Suarez! Messi sprints into the left-hand side of the Espanyol penalty area and latches onto a wonderful pass forward. The Argentine can shoot himself but instead decides to knock the ball over to Suarez, who pulls off a close-range volley from just behind his body but somehow can't hit the target.
53'
Messi goes close! More lovely play by Deulofeu over on the right channel sets him up to put the ball on a plate for Messi, who quickly shoots but misses the far post by the narrowest of margins.
52'
Barcelona almost shoot themselves in the foot once again after Busquets is put under pressure on the edge of his own penalty area, but he's eventually fouled whilst desperately trying to hold onto the ball and the home side manage to hold on.
50'
Piatti almost pulls one back! Poor control by Alba gifts a throw-in to Espanyol over on the right flank. It's taken quickly and eventually worked over to Lopez, who thumps a lofted pass forward. It should be easily dealt with by Alba but once again his touch is terrible, allowing Piatti to unleash a rocket of a shot that flies just over the top of the crossbar.
48'
What a chance for Suarez! Deulofeu cuts inside from the right wing on a wonderful run as he easily sprints into the Espanyol box. He then sets up Suarez to shoot, but the Uruguayan completely misses the ball. The striker is able to have another chance to strike, however, and this time he manages to latch onto a low cross from Alba. His effort is brilliantly saved by Pau, however, with the goalkeeper excellently stopping Barcelona from making it 3-0.
46'
We're underway once again!
45'
Another delightful ball into the box finds Suarez over at the far post. The Uruguayan gets the better of Sanchez and looks set to test Pau from close range, but his final touch is slightly too heavy and denies him the opportunity to do so.
44'
Deulofeu flies down the right wing as he easily ghosts past Aaron. He then tries to fire a low cross into the box from the byline, but he can't quite keep the ball in play and Espanyol are able to hold on.
42'
Piatti hits the post! Espanyol win the ball back from the determined hosts and are able to push forward on another good attack down the right wing. A lovely cross into the penalty area isn't fully dealt with by the home side and is only cleared as far as Piatti, who quickly unleashes a shot and hits the woodwork with a thumping half-volley.
40'
Deulofeu is caught from behind by Sergi Darder, and Barcelona are awarded another free-kick in a promising position over on the right flank. Messi steps up and curls a cross over to the far post, but it's overhit and fails to find a team-mate.
38'
Messi fires a delightful pass over the top of the Espanyol back line from inside the Barcelona half of the pitch and straight to Suarez, who quickly shoots from the edge of the box but is unable to hit the target with his slightly rushed effort.
37'
Big chance for Rakitic! A swinging corner flies straight onto the head of Rakitic, who rises high above his marker, but he can't get the better of Pau in the middle of the goal.
36'
Messi almost immediately furthers Barcelona's lead as he charges into the visitors' penalty area and takes on Aaron, who is put under plenty of pressure by the number 10 but is just about able to knock the ball behind for a corner.
35'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Jordi Alba.
Alba did well to latch onto the bouncing ball before cutting it back to Messi, but Barcelona certainly were lucky, as the ball could have deflected anywhere. In the end, it fell kindly to the left-back.
GOAL! It's another for Barcelona! Space opens up for Messi, allowing him to burst through the middle of the pitch on a marauding run. He initially loses the ball on the edge of the Espanyol penalty area but it deflects off two players before falling to Jordi Alba, who sets up the Argentine to poke in from close range.
34'
Almost a chance for Gerard Moreno! The forward looks set to test Ter Stegen from close range as he tries to latch onto a delightful cross in from Piatti, but Nelson Semedo does really well to get a toe onto the ball to poke it behind for a corner.
33'
Espanyol push forward on a rare foray into the Barcelona half of the pitch, with Sanchez quickly breaking down the right flank on a good run. He then swings a cross into the heart of the penalty area, where Ter Stegen punches it away from danger at the vital moment.
31'
Wonderful football from Barcelona! Messi and Rakitic play a delightful series of passes between themselves as they dance their way into the visitors' penalty area. The Croatian then gets a shot away from close range and looks set to make it 2-0, but Pau saves the low effort with an excellent diving stop.
30'
No, they can't. Suarez steps up and shoots, but his strike doesn't have enough power or height behind it to beat the wall of Espanyol players camped in front of him.
29'
David López gets yellow.
David Lopez handles the ball over on the left wing as he tries to break away, resulting in a yellow card and a free-kick for Barcelona in a promising position. Can they make it count?
28'
Suarez quickly bursts down the right wing and into the Espanyol box, where he wins the hosts a corner. It's swung into the penalty area and over to the far post, where the visitors have plenty of bodies back to deal with the danger.
26'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by I. Rakitić.
Rakitic did well to pick out Messi with a clever pass into the heart of the Espanyol penalty area, but the Argentine was at least a yard offside. The visitors won't be happy with that, as it's a poor decision that has gone against them.
GOAL! Lovely play by Messi! The Argentine picks up the ball inside the right-hand side of the Espanyol box and immediately skips past two defenders. He showcases lovely skill to get the better of the two players, and he then blasts a rocket of a shot straight past Pau from close range.
25'
A poor pass from Suarez fails to find Jordi Alba, allowing Espanyol to counter-attack quickly once again. The attacking move comes to a disappointing end, however, as a long ball forward fails to pick out Baptistao.
23'
Espanyol knock the ball around nicely as they string together their best series of passes so far. Baptistao is eventually able to charge into the Barcelona box on a wonderful run, but he doesn't shoot quickly enough and is eventually dispossessed.
21'
Sergio Busquets gets yellow.
Espanyol try to break away after a Barcelona attack comes to a disappointing end, but Baptistao is cynically fouled on the halfway line as he attempts to charge forward and Busquets picks up a yellow card as a result.
19'
Messi is bundled over by Papakouli Diop, resulting in a free-kick for Barcelona 30 yards away from goal. Suarez steps up and shoots, but his curling strike is well saved by Pau before it can find the roof of the net.
17'
Leo Baptistao looks to have got the better of Pique as he charges down the left wing and latches onto a lofted pass forward, but the linesman's flag is raised as soon as he makes contact with the ball. That certainly was a close call!
15'
Almost a great opportunity for Barcelona! A deep, looping cross from Messi manages to pick out Suarez at the far post. The Uruguayan meets the ball well and nods it down towards Rakitic, who goes close to meeting it but is cut out at the vital moment.
13'
A poor attempt at a clearance from Samuel Umtiti fails to find the hands of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and instead results in a corner for the visitors. It's curled into a dangerous position by Piatti, but Barcelona are just about able to clear the ball over to the right flank, where Espanyol win themselves another corner.
11'
Barcelona keep patiently knocking the ball around inside the Espanyol half of the pitch as they try to find a way through on goal, but they're unable to do so and a poor attempted pass from Nelson Semedo flies out of play for an Espanyol throw-in.
9'
Espanyol are able to push forward on their first attack of the game after nine minutes on the back foot. Victor Sanchez bursts down the right wing and then tries to pick out Pablo Piatti, but his pass forward is poorly hit and rolls out for a goal-kick instead.
7'
Deulofeu twists and turns deep down the left wing, but he can't find a way past Aaron Martin and has to settle for a corner. It's curled in by Messi and finds Pique once again, but Ivan Rakitic is dragged down by Javi Fuego and the referee quickly awards a free-kick to Barcelona.
5'
Sergio Busquets picks out Messi just outside of the Espanyol penalty area and looks as if he's set up the Argentine to spin and shoot, but the latter can't quite get the ball under control and the visitors manage to hold on.
3'
Espanyol aren't able to fully clear the danger, allowing Barcelona to come back once again. Lionel Messi burts into the right-hand side of the box and shoots, but his strike is uncharacteristically heavy and sails well wide of its intended target.
2'
A delightful cross into the box from Andres Iniesta manages to pick out Gerard Deulofeu, who pulls off a clever run towards goal but can't quite spin and shoot. He does manage to win the home side an early corner, however, and it's one that Gerard Pique isn't able to head towards goal.
1'
We're off! Barcelona get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s LaLiga game between Barcelona and Espanyol at Camp Nou.
So far, so good for Barcelona, who were thumped 5-1 by Real Madrid in last month’s Super Cup but are currently one of only two teams with victories from both of their opening LaLiga games. They enjoyed a relatively comfortable win at home to Real Betis on the opening weekend before beating Deportivo Alaves by the same scoreline six days later, and they head into tonight’s local derby with the opportunity to move to the top of the table before Real Sociedad’s clash against Deportivo La Coruna tomorrow.
Barcelona start the evening with 13 straight victories at home in the league, their best run since January 2014 and superior to anyone else in Spain’s top tier. Neymar may be gone and Philippe Coutinho’s move to Camp Nou might not have materialised, but they’re still able to welcome talented youngster Ousmane Dembele, who has been named on the substitutes' bench tonight.
An impressive 2016-17 campaign saw Espanyol finish in a respectable eighth position, and it was only the second time they had managed to end the season so high since 2005. They were able to start the new campaign with an impressive and well-earned 1-1 draw against Sevilla, but their last outing proved to be a disappointing one, with in-form Leganes narrowly beating them 1-1.
Espanyol head into this evening’s big clash looking for a first win of the season, but they’re unlikely to find it. Unsurprisingly, Barcelona have bossed league meetings between the two teams in recent years, with nine of the last 10 derby games ending in victories for them. It’s now over eight and a half years since Espanyol last beat their local rivals in a LaLiga outing, although they did earn themselves a goalless draw in January 2016.
There’s just under 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening...
Espanyol XI (4-3-3): Pau; Sanchez, Hermoso, David Lopez, Aaron; Diop, Darder, Fuego; Baptistao, Moreno, Piatti.
Barcelona substitutes: Cillessen, Digne, Mascherano, Paulinho, Gomes, Dembele, Alcacer.
Barcelona XI (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Semedo, Umtiti, Pique, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Deulofeu.
Ernesto Valverde has decided to make two changes to the Barcelona side that started the victory against Alaves just before the international break, with Nelson Semedo and the fit-again Luis Suarez coming into the starting line-up to replace Aleix Vidal and Sergi Roberto.
Meanwhile, Espanyol boss Quique Sanchez Flores has made four alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Javi Lopez, Naldo, Jose Jurado and Hernan Perez making way for Victor Sanchez, Mario Hermoso, Papakouli Diop and Sergi Darder.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Espanyol substitutes: Navarro, Naldo, Garcia, Jurado, Didac, Diego Lopez, Roca.
HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 2-0 ESPANYOL
It's all going to plan for Barcelona so far, and they look set to continue their 100% record at the top of LaLiga. Messi has been running riot in front of goal, with the Espanyol defenders all struggling to find a way to deal with him, whilst the home side have comfortably controlled the game in the middle of the pitch. Espanyol have enjoyed a few good moments on the break, however, and they'll be hoping they can continue to do so after the break.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 5-0 ESPANYOL
Barcelona's 100% record remains intact, and tonight's comfortable win has sent them back to the top of the table, two points clear of Sevilla. They were always on the front foot and never looked like losing, with Messi easily managing to wrap up a well-deserved hat-trick with three excellently taken goals. Pique and Suarez then joined in on the fun to pile more misery on an Espanyol side that battled hard but eventually came up short.
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