Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez said that Barcelona fans are not in a position to take good morals. One of the talking points ahead of Saturday night’s Barcelona derby is the return of goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who left Los Pericos for their bitter rivals in the summer in a €25m deal.
The Catalan derby is already a hot topic, with Espanyol hit with a one-match stadium ban in 2023 after fans chased Barcelona players off the pitch following their title win. Garcia is expected to be in for a hostile reception, and Espanyol have taken precautionary measures by placing nets behind the goals to stop any objects thrown his way, and urging fans to ‘prevail with cool heads’.
‘I will not be taught by Barcelona fans about behavior’ – Gonzalez
The manager of Barcelona, Hansi Flick, announced that the situation is always difficult when facing Espanyol, and that he expects his team to handle it comfortably. Gonzalez said it will be a tense situation, but anything more than that will hurt Espanyol fans more than anyone.
“The fans will speak naturally, but we will not come to the game with roses; it is common sense. Like when we go to the Camp Nou and they sing that they are ‘rescheduled’ and we say, nothing happens. These things happen, like the Sevilla-Betis game, for example. People must understand that the fans are the first to suffer, the club goes wrong, if something goes wrong the team. It should not be, the first to suffer are those with season tickets who will not be able to enter the stadium.”
#fcbarcelona they are in for a big test to start the new year.
Here is an amazing climb #Espanyolperhaps the best story #LaLiga this year. pic.twitter.com/1jeczGXUKt
— Football España (@footballespana_) January 1, 2026
Gonzalez went on to reveal that when Luis Figo came out of a similar situation, he was greeted with a pig’s head that was thrown at him 25 years ago.
“It’s a great year to enjoy. The fans have to stay calm and separate themselves from all this. If Barca have a moment where they’re going to celebrate wildly, they should be quiet and not come in. What’s happening here is that everyone is waiting for Espanyol to get confused so they can take advantage of it, but that’s not going to happen. And there are no lessons, no speeches, no Barcelona fans. Luis Figo arrived at Camp Nou… They’re not in a position to teach anyone. The fans will behave, and it will be another game of football.”
‘Choosing referees adds unnecessary pressure’ – Gonzalez
One of the changes made by the Referees Committee (CTA) this year is that the officials are able to manage teams from their region. A Catalan referee will be officiating the Barcelona derby, a move Gonzalez feels was poorly thought out.
“I don’t think it’s necessary; it puts unnecessary pressure on the referee. Because whatever he does, it will backfire. If the referee is under a lot of scrutiny in a normal game, think what it will be like tomorrow, no matter what happens. Think what will happen if Espanyol wins; it’s better to leave it to Catalonia if that happens.”
Gonzalez will continue to ensure that captain Javi Puado will return to the team for the first time since October, after suffering a knee injury. Ramon Terrats will also return to action, with Charles Pickel their only exception due to international duty. Gonzalez emphasized that although it was important for his team to defend well, the key to defeating Barcelona is to attack well.
