Rough guide for Wolves' Espanyol excursion
Thanks to a Diogo Jota hat-trick and another Ruben Neves wonder-goal, Wolves travel to Barcelona with the hard work already done in their Europa League tie with Espanyol.
More than 2,000 Wolves fans will be heading there in the hope of seeing their side complete formalities and secure a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
Here, Mark Sochon reveals what will lie in wait for them in the Catalan capital.
What to Expect from Espanyol
The struggling Spanish side made nine changes for the first leg at Molineux and many fringe players are expected to feature again.
Having spent more than £30million in January, Espanyol’s Chinese owners are desperate for the club to avoid relegation from La Liga and recently appointed coach Abelardo looks to have been given clear orders to prioritise that fight.
Their survival hopes took a fresh blow at the weekend as they lost a key relegation six-pointer against Real Valladolid.
Their pressing domestic matters combined with the very slim chance of them overhauling a four goal deficit, means restoring some pride will be Espanyol’s main objective here after last week’s 4-0 defeat.
The RCDE Stadium
Espanyol’s home is the modern 40,000-capacity RCDE Stadium. It lies on the fringes of Barcelona in the suburb of Cornella de Llobregat, close to the city’s main airport.
Visiting Wolves fans should note that it is best reached by Catalonia’s suburban rail network rather than the Barcelona metro.
The fastest connections take 18 minutes to get to Cornella from Plaça de Catalunya, a central square where visiting football fans to the city regularly gather.
The area surrounding the RCDE Stadium does not rank among Barcelona’s best districts though – so Wolves fans would be advised to head to Cornella purely for the game and then return to the city centre to enjoy their evening.
Barcelona
Wolves may not be taking on the mighty FC Barcelona but many visiting supporters may also take the opportunity to visit Camp Nou, with stadium tours running throughout the week.
Aside from Plaça de Catalunya, which lies at the top of the famous La Rambla, the central Barceloneta Beach is likely to be another popular spot to soak in the pre-game atmosphere.
With sunny weather and mild temperatures of around 18C expected in Barcelona this week, it should be an enjoyable trip for Wolves fans.
Mark Sochon is a football writer based in Spain who writes for laligaexpert.com
