89 min: Neymar update. He has just absolutely taken Arbilla’s pants down. The right-back is left on his arse, as the Brazilian skips and tricks past him into the area. Woweee.

87 min: The game is petering out now, Barcelona confident to play their tiki-take even within their own penalty box. Pedro is released, and again shows his pace to leave Lucas in his wake. Whilst I’d like to see more starts for Pedro, he’s also a fantastic impact sub.

85 min: What has definitely been a factor in this second half is tiredness. All of Espanyol’s players look leggy, and this is where the size of the Camp Nou pitch really starts to take effect. It is a gargantuan space, which can’t be fun to chase shadows on. If you have possession on it, you are king, which is why it suits Barcelona so well. Is there a bigger pitch you can think of in club football?

82 min: Mathieu comes on for Busquets, who got a nasty bang off Arbilla a few moments ago. The Frenchman goes to centre back, Mascherano moves into midfield.

Messi starts and finishes the move, rolling Victor Sanchez in the middle of the park, skipping past Moreno before popping a through pass to Pedro. Pedro could shoot, but having ignored Messi a moment earlier, he doesn’t do the same again, and cuts the ball back to the Argentinian, who sweeps the ball just inside the far post with his right foot. Another with his right!

Espanyol build their first attack in about 15 minutes and as there players move up the pitch, they are punished. Alba has time to look up on the left and pick a long 50-yard diagonal ball to Pedro, who takes one touch, waits for the keeper to go to ground and sweeps the ball into the far corner. It was the first touch control that made that easy. He’s a class act. Messi was haring down Pedro’s inside for a square pass there for his hat-trick there, didn’t get the pass!

74 min: Barcelona are laying siege to Espanyol’s goal. Pretty passes, which unlike the first half, seem to have an end product. Those lofted balls behind the defence, in front of the keeper, are finding their targets.

Interesting substitutions from Enrique. You’d think with PSG on Wednesday, he might want to rest Messi and Neymar rather than Suarez and Rakitic.

70 min: Couple more substitutions. Stuani is on for Caicedo in a straight swap for Espanyol. Can’t see him getting much action to be honest.

Pedro is also on for Suarez, who trudges off. He’s still to score in La Liga. I’m delighted to see a bit more of Pedro. Doesn’t get nearly enough game time in my eyes, and has the raw pace and width that is sometimes lacking from Barca’s play.

68 min: Foul on Messi, yellow card for Alvaro, he was very late there. It’s central and right on the edge of the box: prime territory this. If Ronaldo scores a hat-trick, Messi wil... nope, it’s just over the bar.

65 min: Iniesta comes on to a hero’s welcome. On for Rakitic, who has had a steady game, nothing more.

63 min: Espanyol haven’t been in Barcelona’s half in about 10 minutes. This could get ugly.

60 min: There have been some quite exquisite exchanges of passing from Barcelona. Neymar has started with his lollipops, and Xavi is playing ten yards further up the pitch to where he was in the first half. Suddenly it’s 2011 again.

58 min: Espanyol make a change: Moreno on for Canas, formerly of Swansea of course. Moreno is the Mexican centre back who broke his leg at the World Cup. Strange to see him coming on for a central midfielder, seems a defensive switch?! Surely Espanyol aren’t giving up on this game already?

55 min: Espanyol look like they have abandoned the shape which proved so successful in the first half. If they don’t re-organise, this could turn into a thrashing.

Simple goal: Xavi whips a corner to the back post, and Piqué outmuscles his marker (I think Alvaro) and plants his header into the top corner. Espanyol were warned with that free-kick just after half-time and didn’t learn. In 10 minutes, either side of half-time, this game has completely turned on its head.

Neymar shows Lucas a clean pair of heels on the left, finds Suarez who drives forward before floating a pass over to an unmarked Messi on the edge. His first touch is perhaps a little heavy, but this only serves to commit Alvaro and Messi is about to poke the ball through the defender’s legs for a nutmeg, before lashing a right-footed shot into the far corner. Woof!

48 min: Penalty shout for Barca! Messi skips clear of Canas and plays a slide-rule pass through to Neymar, who slightly has to check. He can’t quite get it out of his feet, and Eric is quick enough to get to him. However, it’s a clumsy shoulder, probably a foul, not given.

47 min: Luis Suarez makes contact with a defender. Luis Suarez goes down. Luis Suarez holds his teeth. No foul.

46 min: Xavi whips in a dangerous free-kick to the back post, but it’s just too high for Piqué. How long will Xavi stay on before he’s replaced? Not very, I’d guess. He’s been quite ineffective in open play.

Peeeep. We’re underway again.

“The video of Hudson on Messi is hilarious - HE’S OUT OF HIS VULCAN MIND! - but by the end I was just admiring Messi,” writes Robin Hughes. “I could watch the guy all day. It’s a shame he hasn’t lived up to his own standards recently - although admittedly 17 goals from 18 games this season is still a bit handy. You have any thoughts as to why it is? Natural decline, needs a change of scene, lost the hunger?”

A few things here. Firstly, it’s a nonsense that Messi is in decline. Ronaldo has no doubt raised his game for people who like to make a direct comparison but Messi is playing in an inferior team compared a few years ago, and appears to be in a slightly role to the false nine he has previously played. This game, many of his key passes have been from very deep in midfield, from the kind of place that Xavi used to play for him. Messi’s chances are largely created by himself, running from deep, drawing defenders into challenges. He’s still got it, but I don’t think Luis Enrique quite has the same nous as Pep. Not that I have the answers.

Half time entertainment

Yep, you guessed. Here’s a bit more Ray for ya.

Who else? He’s been Barcelona’s only outlet this half, and the little magician conjures something special from the edge of the box. Xavi lays the ball off, Messi shapes to hit it first time, but takes a touch to dodge the sliding defenders before curling a low shot through a crowd of players just inside the Casilla’s right-hand post. A second replay shows how far outside the post that shot started before the curl brought it back, a good two yards?! Espanyol’s players slump on the turf, there were three separate players that tried to get to the Argentinian, all in vain.

41 min: Chance for Espanyol! Another lightning break, and but for a heavy touch from Victor Sanchez, they would surely have a 2-0 lead! Garcia is again allowed room to turn, and with Alves again out of position, Sanchez breaks from deep, beat the offside trap and is clean through. But no! His touch is too careless, and Bravo does well to come off his line to just nip the ball away. Barca are playing with fire here, they don’t need to be so cavalier in their shape, there’s still plenty of time.

38 min: Great save by Casilla! Again it’s Messi operating from deep who creates the chance, floating a beautifully weighted ball over Espanyol’s defence and Alba cutting in from the left, cushions a first-time shot straight at Espanyol’s keeper. The rebound comes out to Alba again but he cannot organise his feet in time, and the ball bounces out for a goal-kick.

36 min: Suarez has done diddly-squat so far, the central areas are just far too congested for even the most slippery of forwards. “As a Liverpool fan I decided to look longingly at Luis,” writes Ian Copestake, “but also as a Liverpool fan I am enjoying the fact Barca are losing because I want him to come home and give up this nonsense.”

Charles Antaki is a little more forthright in his verdict. “Suárez is auditioning again for the starring role in H G Wells’ classic The Invisible Man.” Ouch.

33 min: Messi again is the Barca’s instigator, dribbling from deep. He beat one, two, three men but is squeezed wide by the covering Eric, who is able to make a last-ditch challenge and take the sting out of Messi’s shot. Eric has been excellent so far, he’s a product of Espanyol’s own youth team and the best player on the pitch so far.

30 min: Ooooo close! Messi hits the bar! Having tempted the wonderfully grey-haired Salva Sevilla into a challenge on the edge of the box, Messi takes the resulting free-kick but he can’t get it over the wall and under the bar – it just clips the top and goes behind.

27 min: One of these hoofs finds Caicedo, who is allowed to turn on the half-way mark, and the Ecuadorian just sets off making a bee-line for Barca’s goal. Barca’s defence do nothing but retreat, why is he being given so much room? Eventually Alves comes across to close the striker down, but in leaving the right flank, leaves Garcia wide open on the edge of the area. Garcia receives a slipped pass, takes a touch but only passes it into Bravo’s arms. Very weak, but another promising counter-attack. You can see Espanyol scoring again here.

25 min: Signs that Barcelona are finally finding their feet, even if the penetration is minimal at this point. All the success is coming in the wide areas through Alves and Alba, but whenever a ball is delivered, Alvaro and Eric are there to hoof it clear.

23 min: “Strangely I think the other SW/D/M/F RLC was one Kieron Dyer... injury-proneness 20 presumably!” says Paul Turp, wrongly. But then, another email!

“... it may have been Niklas Alexandersson?”

Correct! Have a cup of tea to celebrate.

(Props also to Joseph Ravenscroft who came in with the same answer just two minutes later)

21 min: Caicedo fouls Neymar, but it is the former Manchester City man that appears to have come off the worst. Even though he fouled the Brazilian, it shows the work ethic that he has in tracking back, it was that industriousness that earned Espanyol the goal when he picked Busquet’s pocket. He limps to his feet and takes a couple of minutes to receive treatment, much to the distain of the Camp Nou faithful.

18 min: Nearly 20 minutes gone, and Barcelona are yet to muster a shot on target. Espanyol looks very comfortable, and happy to let Barcelona have the ball. Their captain and goalscorer Garcia looks a real threat, he is a Barcelona old boy of course, having learned his trade at La Masia. Garcia only made four first-team appearances for Barca though, between 2003 and 2005.

15 min: Busquets is still shaking his head, a good two minutes after the goal. He mis-plays another pass, trying to find Suarez’s feet. Needs to find his composure again.

Busquets tries to play his way out of trouble on the half-way line and is caught by Caicedo. Garcia picks up the loose ball and suddenly it’s two on two! Barcelona’s midfield are all at sea, the full-backs are nowhere to be seen. Pique and Mascherano both retreat to the penalty box as Garcia and Caicedo advance. Garcia has his teammate to his left, but he doesn’t need him, feinting inside on this left and firing a low strike past Bravo’s left hand. Espanyol lead the Catalan derby!

10 min: As expected Barcelona’s full-backs are both well forward. Messi drops very deep to get the ball and sprays one out to Alba but the left back cannot gets past Arbilla.

8 min: Fantastic move from Espanyol. They play a crisp one-two on the left, and Sergio Garcia breaks forward to the byline, before lacing a fierce low cross across the six-yard box. Lucas is there but Alba slides in to clear. That could have gone absolutely anywhere, but in the end you have to credit the Spanish international. A hush descends in Camp Nou, the first scare of the afternoon.

6 min: And there is that range. Rakitic collects the ball from Alves on the right, one touch, and whips a delightful ball at pace to the back post, where Neymar is lurking. Alvaro clears behind, and the corner comes to nothing.

4 min: Barca settle into their rhythm: Rakitic, Xavi and Busquets popping it about nicely. Will be interesting to see how Rakitic gets on in place of Mascherano, who played in central midfield last week. The Croatian has a much better passing range, Barca moved to ball too slowly in Valencia.

2 min: Neymar picks the ball up and dribbles the ball a good 50 yards up the pitch, but the lay-off to Suarez is mistimed, with the Uruguayan caught offside. It’s easy to forget just how quick the Brazilian can be. Physically he’s improved so much since signing for Barca.

The teams are out! Let’s do this. Peeeeep!

Today’s teams

Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Xavi, Rakitic; Suarez, Messi, Neymar.

Espanyol (4-2-3-1): Casilla; Arbilla, Alvaro, Eric, Fuentes; Canas, Victor Sanchez; Lucas, Salva Sevilla, Sergio Garcia; Caicedo

Iniesta is rested, he played in the Copa del Rey in midweek and did this.

Team news shortly. First:

Not really applicable as a manager, but I will always have a soft spot for Luis Enrique for his staggering versatility in Championship Manager 1997/8. He was able to play in every outfield position – SW/D/M/F RLC. A one-man wonderman. A Onederman. There was one other player on that version of the game that had the same positional ambidexterity. Brownie points/pat on the back for somebody who emails/tweets in with that answer.

Well remembered Flynn: in the reverse fixture that 2006/7 season, that boy Tamudo was at it again (the final score was actually 3-1 to Espanyol). Dagger. Heart. Etc.

The pre-match stats do not make pretty reading for Espanyol.

Today’s visitors, who have yet to win away this season, have not scored against Barcelona in the last five league meeting with Barcelona, and have not scored at Camp Nou since 2009. Not exactly the sort of strike record you want to have against a defence that has conceded just six goals this campaign.

That said, all is not lost. Barcelona did not look their fluid best at Valencia, so expect Espanyol to set up in a similar way: defend deep and counter quickly. Messi, Suarez and Neymar all like to drop deep which often gives Barca a chronic lack of width, so with Alves and Alba getting forward, there should be space for Espanyol to hit Barca on the break. The last two Catalan derbies have been decided by a single goal so it could well be tight.

What’s more, Barca well have an eye on their Champions League game with PSG on Wednesday. That’s in just three days! Madness.

Incidentally, Messi has had a yellow card rescinded this week. The Argentinian was booked last week at Valencia after Barcelona scored a late winner – he was hit in the head with a bottle thrown from the crowd, and when he complained to the referee about the incident, was cautioned as he was deemed to have “delayed his return to the pitch after the goal was scored, in order to waste time”. Anyway, the authorities have since seen sense. He plays today.

For anyone keen to re-live that 2007 Catalan derby, they can do so here. A warning: Ray Hudson is commentating. I counted six “LOOK OUT!”s in under six minutes of highlights.

I’m only sorry that I don’t have Ray along with me today in this MBM. He’s certainly got a way with words, and judging by this video, quite likes talking about Messi.

“Three players inside a telephone box and he don’t care. He emasculates them, individually, collectively. He literally [HE LITERALLY DOES IT PEOPLE] disperses his atoms inside of his body on one side of this defender, and then collects them on the other. Magisterial Lionel! Magisterial!”

If anyone has any other Ray favourites, I would be very glad to receive them via email/Twitter.