Espanyol president Daniel Sanchez Llibre has thrown down the derby gauntlet to Barcelona ahead of this weekend's clash.

"Barca is a team with a very big budget, but Espanyol has nothing to lose and I am convinced that we will win. If we go into the game with pessimism, we are not going to achieve anything," he said.

"Last season we were superior. We took four points from the available six against Barca and I think we proved to be the superior team."

Espanyol are just two points away from Barca on the table and this weekend's clash promises to be one of the best derbies in recent years.