Osasuna vs Barcelona

Reigning La Liga holders Barcelona head to El Sadar to encounter Osasuna in their last league assignment ahead of September’s international break.

Osasuna’s quest to qualify for a major European competition for the first time in over 15 years fell apart in midweek Europa Conference League action as they squandered a two-goal cushion in a 2-2 draw at Club Brugge, bowing out of the qualifying playoffs 4-3 on aggregate. But a 2-0 home defeat to Athletic Bilbao on matchday two, sandwiched by a pair of wins at Valencia and Celta Vigo, gives ‘Los Rojillos’ a slight reason for optimism. Jagoba Arrasate’s lads would be wise not to put high hopes into this fixture after losing both competitive home outings this term. By contrast, they ended last season on a high, winning three home league matches on the trot via an aggregate score of 7-2. On a more positive historic note, you’d need to go back to 2013/14 for the last time Osasuna opened a new La Liga campaign with back-to-back home defeats.

On the other hand, Barcelona’s La Liga title defense was off to a frustrating start, as perennial relegation fighters Getafe held them to a scoreless away draw. However, Xavi Hernandez’s men have bounced back with back-to-back wins over Cadiz and Villarreal, netting 2+ second-half goals on both occasions. Keen to build on last weekend’s stunning 4-3 victory at La Ceramica, the ‘Blaugrana’ head to El Sadar looking to post back-to-back away league wins over Osasuna since 2005. Indeed, since a 3-2 defeat in 2012, they have alternated between winning (4) and drawing (3) on their last seven La Liga visits to El Sadar, including a keenly-contested 2-1 triumph in 2022/23. However, it won’t be plain sailing for Barcelona, especially given their underwhelming seven-game league form on the road (W2, D2, L3).