Osasuna vs Barcelona 31/08/19

31 August 2019

Barcelona will look to extend their unbeaten La Liga (LL) run against Osasuna to seven games (W5, D1) when the two sides collide at the Estadio El Sadar this weekend.

Unbeaten after the opening two rounds of LL fixtures (W1, D1), the returnees have struggled to provide any sorts of entertainment to their fans whatsoever. Both of those games have featured under 1.5 goals, with Osasuna producing just four shots on target across those matches. Before battling their way back to the top flight, Gorritxoak enjoyed a purple patch of form when at home in 2019, winning all 12 home games in the Segunda Division last term. Ten of those wins have seen Osasuna keep a clean sheet, with six of them ending with the same 1-0 scoreline in their favor. Still, Los Rojillos have struggled to beat Barcelona in their last three top-flight H2Hs here (D1, L2), failing to find the net in two of those clashes.

Meanwhile, the visitors suffered a narrow 1-0 away loss to Athletic Bilbao in the league opener, but they took no time to bounce back having swept Real Betis aside with a stunning 5-2 home win last time out. Frustratingly for Ernesto Valverde, the Blaugrana won just one of their previous six LL trips (W1, D3, L2), with four of those games featuring under 2.5 total goals. However, Barcelona’s recent away form is in sharp contrast to their overall achievements from last season. The reigning LL holders secured more away points than any other Spanish side in 2018/19 (39), winning 11 of 19 LL trips (W11, D6, L2). What’s more, the Catalans have netted 39 away goals last term, again the highest in the Spanish top tier.