Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has welcomed Espanyol's return to the LaLiga.
Espanyol are back in LaLiga Santander after securing promotion from LaLiga SmartBank, which is something that Pique was hoping would happen.
"They are a main ingredient for the show," he noted.
"I have hoped that they come up to Primera. It gives me pleasure to play on their pitch and to have people there.
"It's part of the game. To play against clubs without rivalry, I prefer to have a rivalry."
There was talk last summer that Barcelona would try to move on the 34-year-old, but he does not intend to play for another club.
"The day I stop playing for Barcelona I will leave football, I will never go to another team," Pique stated.
"If they don't want me, if [Ronald] Koeman tells me I won't stay, then that's it. I'm only passionate about playing for Barcelona. I wouldn't have the motivation to wear another shirt."
