[2] In the first half of the 20th century during the Miguel Primo de Rivera dictatorship (1923–1930), FC Barcelona was the embodiment of the oppressed Catalan sentiment, in stark contrast to RCD Espanyol which cultivated a kind of compliance to the central authority.

On numerous occasions RCD Espanyol have complained of an unfavorable treatment which is sometimes directly offensive according to them, towards the club in favor of FC Barcelona by some public media dependent on the Generalitat of Catalonia like TV3.

The Pericos also claimed the trophy in 2006 and qualified for the 2006 Supercopa de España where they met league champions Barcelona – the Blaugrana winning 4–0 on aggregate.

On 8 June 2007, Espanyol achieved a 2–2 draw against Barça in the penultimate day of the championship, making it possible for Real Madrid to win the 2006–07 La Liga in their next match at the Bernabeu.

Three years earlier, Barcelona had also won the 2014–15 Copa del Rey by beating Athletic Bilbao, with the Basques having ended Espanyol's hopes, and the chance of a Catalan showpiece, in the semi-finals.

[23] At the end of that season, Espanyol were relegated for the first time in their history, as Barcelona went on to win a continental treble, a first for a Spanish women's club team.