Balde, Alejandro 
Catena, Alejandro 
Having made a solid start to the 2023/24 campaign, Jagoba Arrasate’s Osasuna go head-to-head with La Liga champions Barcelona on Sunday at Estadio El Sadar.
Key Takeaways
- Osasuna drew 2-2 at home to Club Brugge midweek in Europa Conference League qualifiers but were knocked out on aggregate
- Barcelona managed to come out on top in a seven-goal thriller away to Villarreal last weekend, securing a 4-3 triumph
- Barca did the double over Osasuna last term, recording a 2-1 victory in Pamplona
Arrasate has provided plenty of stability over the last few years for Osasuna with consecutive mid-table finishes and they went a step further last year by finishing in seventh place. In Xavi Hernandez’s first full season in charge at Barca, he was able to guide them to the La Liga title last season.
Osasuna Form
Two wins out of three for Osasuna have seen them make a solid start to the new season. They kicked off their La Liga campaign with a 2-0 triumph away to Celta Vigo. Goals from Ruben Garcia and Moi Gomez secured the three points. However, Los Rojillos couldn’t make it six points out of six as they lost 2-0 at home to Athletic Bilbao in their second league game.
Europe has also been on the agenda for Osasuna this season but they lost 2-1 at home to Club Brugge in the first leg of their Conference League play-off. They bounced back domestically, though, defeating Valencia 2-1 in their latest La Liga outing. The club looked as though they would be heading to the group stage of the Conference League after going 2-0 up midweek but they couldn’t hold on to their lead.
Barcelona Form
It has been a solid start for Barca as they begin their title defence for the 2023/24 season. Despite dropping points in their opener in a 0-0 draw away to Getafe, Xavi’s side have won both matches since as they remain unbeaten through three games.
A 2-0 victory at home to Cadiz saw them find their first win of the season thanks to goals from Pedri and Ferran Torres. However, it wasn’t as straightforward away to Villarreal in their last match as they originally threw away a two-goal lead. Nevertheless, Barca showed excellent resilience to fight back from 3-2 down to win 4-3 at Estadio de la Cerámica.
Head-to-Head
Culés have won the last three consecutive meetings with Osasuna and they did the double over them last term, winning this fixture 2-1. The last time Los Rojillos avoided defeat against Barca was on their own turf in 2021 as they played out a 2-2 draw. However, Osasuna have failed to defeat the Catalan club in any of their last six meetings, with their last victory coming at the Camp Nou in 2020. Barca have won five of the last six clashes and Osasuna haven’t beaten Barcelona at El Sadar since 2012.
Team News
Osasuna midfielder Darko Brasanac is not expected to return until the winter as he continues to recover from an ACL injury. However, Chimy Avila will be available once more after serving his suspension against Valencia in the last league outing.
The visitors are dealing with a few more selection issues here. Defenders Ronald Araujo and Inigo Martinez are expected to remain on the sidelines due to injury. Pedri will be a big loss, however, since he is likely to miss out due to a muscle issue. Barca will also be without Ansu Fati and Clement Lenglet who have recently completed loan moves to Brighton and Aston Villa respectively.
Key Players
Ante Budimir managed to get on the scoresheet against Brugge midweek and also provided an assist for Nacho Vidal’s winner against Valencia in the last league match. He could get the start up top for the hosts. Defender David Garcia has played the full 90 minutes in every match thus far and will remain crucial at the back.
Torres has scored in back-to-back matches for the visitors, so he will be the key man in their forward line. However, he is yet to start this season so will be pushing for a spot in the starting lineup here. Veteran forward Robert Lewandowski found his first goal of the season last time out and will likely lead the line once more here.
How to watch on TV or Online
Those in the UK can watch Osasuna take on Barcelona live on Viaplay Sports 1 and LALIGA TV.
Final Thoughts
Osasuna will be no pushovers here and Barca haven’t been as compelling as they’d like to start the campaign. Nevertheless, it is the visitors who are favoured to win but we should see goals either way.
LaLiga
Uefa Europa Conference League