Xavi Hernandez makes his debut as FC Barcelona coach on Saturday when his side entertains local rivals Espanyol in the Camp Nou Stadium. Against Espanyol . Those are now the equivalent of Barcelona in terms of points collection. Both clubs have 16 points. At the moment Barcelona is in ninth place.

Xavi Hernández makes his coaching debut at Barcelona when it hosts Espanyol in a derby at Camp Nou. Xavi has had little time to work with his full squad since taking over from Ronald Koeman two weeks ago with many players having been away with their national teams. He also has several players injured, including striker Ansu Fati.

Espanyol aims to get its first win over its crosstown rival since 2009. The city’s more modest club is level on points with Xavi’s side entering the round, and Espanyol striker Raúl de Tomás is one of the hottest scorers in the Spanish league.

Sevilla also hosts Alavés seeking a win that would make it the overnight league leader. Atlético Madrid hosts Osasuna trying to keep pace with the top three teams, while Villarreal is at Celta Vigo.

"We are fully prepared for this match," Xavi told a pre-match press conference. Espanyol is a very good team. The match will not be easy. But we are ready to fight. "He added:" There is no change in the team at the moment. Dani Alves will join. Appeal to supporters, stay tuned. We will destroy opponents. "