When we think of the Barcelona football scene, thoughts of Camp Nou and the world renowned Barcelona FC immediately spring to mind. Of course this is for good reason- the club are one of the most successful clubs in the history of football and arguably the sport’s most loved outfit (although there may be some in Madrid who disagree!). However, believe it or not (and I urge you to whisper it quietly) there are actually a few other teams in Barcelona, and some of them are worth watching. So if like me, you love watching live football but are not so keen on paying the astronomical ticket prices that Barcelona FC charges, here are a couple of great alternatives.
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Espanyol, who play in the same league as FC Barcelona, is the second biggest football club in the city and are the most obvious choice if you desire to watch an alternative team. They play their football on the outskirts of Cornellà de Llobregat and El Prat de Llobregat, in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat which has a healthy capacity of 40,500. Tickets can be bought on their website and prices start at €25, although most tickets will cost you a great deal more.
Club Esportiu Europa or CE Europa, play in the fourth level of Spanish football, which involves 361 teams sorted into 18 regional groups. Their stadium Nou Sardenya has a capacity of 7,000 and tickets cost €10 for adults, €5 for over-65’s, and children under 14 get in free. This small club in the Gràcia region is a cheap, fun and affordable way to watch live football during your stay in Barcelona.
Whilst this may seem like a bit of a cheat, Barcelona’s reserve team has almost total autonomy. This is because unlike other countries, in Spain reserve teams are allowed to compete in the same division as first team clubs. This means that fixtures have a lot more importance and an added bite compared to your usual reserves match. Visit the 15,276 capacity Mini Estadi, which is only a stones throw from Camp Nou and you can watch some of the rising stars of the youth academy- and with tickets costing as little as €3 euros for selected matches, it’s well worth a visit!
Photo credit: nicolasarlanzon via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-SA
UE Sant Andreu plays in the same league as CE Europa and I have been told that the derby between both clubs can get somewhat heated! Tickets start at around €5 for most games and are usually cheaper if you buy in advance. Like CE Europa, you won’t get to see top quality players but if you are staying in a region near Sant Andreu, why not go down and support a local Catalan football club. If the match itself disappoints, they do serve cold cervezas at the very least!
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