Espanyol Barcelona tickets at the RCDE Stadium

Espanyol tickets: Barcelona's other club

Barcelona has two clubs in La Liga, and getting into the second one is far easier. Founded in 1900, RCD Espanyol play at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà de Llobregat — a dedicated football ground for around 40,500 people, no running track, steep stands, and a home end whose singing actually reaches the pitch.

The supporters call themselves Periquitos, the parakeets, and have defined themselves against their overwhelming neighbour for more than a century. That defiance is the heart of the club, and the reason a matchday here feels local rather than like an item on a tourist itinerary.

Twice within reach of a European trophy

Espanyol lack their neighbour's global reach, but two UEFA Cup finals are in the record books — and both were lost on penalties. In 1988 against Bayer Leverkusen: the Catalans had won the first leg 3-0, only for Leverkusen to reverse it 3-0 after extra time in Germany. Then in 2007 in Glasgow against Sevilla, again from the spot.

The great players who wore the shirt

The blue and white has been worn by the goalkeeping legend Ricardo Zamora, by Hungarian World Cup finalist Zoltán Czibor, and by Alfredo di Stéfano after his great years at Real Madrid. Add Cameroon's goalkeeping idol Thomas N'Kono, who played in both legs of the 1988 final, Romania's 1994 World Cup star Florin Răducioiu, Moreno Torricelli, Jordi Cruyff, Juan Esnáider and German international Wolfram Wuttke.

The derby against the neighbour

The fixture against FC Barcelona is the one people ask about most, and demand reaches far beyond Catalonia. The record makes uncomfortable reading: 34 wins from 176 league meetings against 102 defeats. The finest hour is more than seventy years old — a 6-0 on 15 April 1951. The last league derby win came on 21 February 2009, 2-1 at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi alone scored 22 goals in this fixture.

Which is to say: seeing Espanyol beat their neighbour would be a genuinely historic afternoon. Plan that one early.

Why the trip works

You stay where Barcelona is interesting — the Eixample, the old town or the beach — and travel out to the match in about twenty minutes by metro and tram. The rest of the weekend belongs to the city: the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, the Rambla and El Born. The club's strongest recent season for attendance was 2009/10, with 529,335 spectators across the campaign, an average of 27,861 per home match.

Tickets and hotels

• Tickets for La Liga home fixtures at the RCDE Stadium, including visits from Spain's biggest clubs
• Hotels in Barcelona, chosen for their location and connections out to Cornellà
• Tickets on their own or as a complete package with accommodation, groups and corporate bookings welcome

A word on kick-off times

In Spain, kick-off times are confirmed only a few weeks in advance and, in the warmer half of the year, often fall late in the evening. We flag the affected dates in the offer so you can plan your return journey accordingly.

More Spanish destinations: La Liga overview and Copa del Rey.

How to book

Tell us the fixture, your travel dates and how many tickets you need. We will check tickets and hotels and come back with a concrete proposal.