A third-tier derby with 17,000 fans: Europa vs Sant Andreu moves to Cornellà

Seventeen thousand people for a third-tier football match? It sounds like a typo, but it is real. This Saturday at 6:30 pm, CE Europa and UE Sant Andreu meet at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà, home of Espanyol.

The game is in Primera RFEF (Spain's third division). Last weekend's top-flight Villarreal-Getafe match drew 17,102 people, and the stands at Vallecas and the Coliseum hold fewer than that.

Why is it moving?

Both clubs currently share Can Dragó, a cold ground with only 3,000 seats. They have to, because the Spanish federation does not allow artificial turf. Sant Andreu's own ground, Nou Sardenya, could not be used.

Since the summer, Europa had been toying with the idea of a bigger stadium. They asked Espanyol to open its ground during the break for the FIFA international date. Demand kept growing, and 1,400 more seats went on sale on Friday.

Why is everyone talking about it?

Europa, from the Gràcia district, and Sant Andreu, from the Sant Andreu neighbourhood, are both centenary clubs and symbols of Barcelona's grassroots football boom. Their first meeting dates back to February 1911, when Sant Andreu was still called Avenç.

For Europa, this will be the biggest crowd of its modern era, beating the 13,000 at La Condomina in Murcia in September. Sant Andreu will bring 3,274 fans, its biggest ever away following.

The coaches get along well. Luis Blanco of Europa calls Sant Andreu's side "a great team". Javi Rey of Sant Andreu predicts goals: "I honestly think a 0-0 is impossible."

What's next?

Europe sit 16th and would draw level with Sant Andreu on 13 points with a win. All three of their wins so far came at home.

The match has been declared high-risk. In 2024, a fence fell in the visitors' area at Nou Sardenya and the game had to be suspended, then finished behind closed doors. Expect a party in the stands, with a little tension around it.