Barcelona – Osasuna : Preview & Prediction
“It was a great game,” declared Xavi Hernández after Real Betis’ visit to Camp Nou. FC Barcelona showed no mercy against a Real Betis side that finished with nine players on the pitch (FCB 4-0 RBB), and the blaugranas maintained their 11-point lead at the top of LaLiga Santander (LL) to take another step towards their 27th league title. Xavi brought on Lamine Yamal in the 83rd minute, who became the youngest player to make his debut for Barça in LL (15 years and 290 days). A good end to a month of April in which the championship leaders won only three of their seven official matches (G3, E2, P2) and went two games without a win at home, being overwhelmed by Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey (CdR).
This Tuesday, Barça faces a new commitment at Camp Nou, where only one visitor has scored in 2023 (FCB: G7, E1). The azulgrana defense continues to perform at a high level and has conceded just one goal in the eight LL matches played at their home ground this year (14 goals scored).
Osasuna are playing in their first CoR final since 2005 on Saturday, but they are five points behind the sixth-placed team and cannot drop their intensity in LL if they want to maintain their chances of reaching the European zone. The impending cup final could obviously be a distraction for Los Rojillos, who suffered the heaviest defeat in their history of meetings with Barça (FCB 8-0 OSA) at Camp Nou in September 2011. In their last seven league visits to the Blue and Whites’ stadium, the Pamplona club has conceded a whopping 36 goals.
Jagoba Arrasate’s side will try to be a wall in their attempt to storm the home of the leaders, whom they visit after scoring in four of the previous six matches (G3, E1, P2), having not conceded more than two goals in any of them. It is worth noting that Osasuna is the third team with the fewest away goals conceded (15, 0.94 p. p.) in the current championship.
Players to watch: With a goal and an assist against Betis, Raphinha vindicated himself after his sluggish performance in Vallecas; Barça has strung together seven wins – one of them over Osasuna in the first round (OSA 1-2 FCB) – when the Brazilian winger is on target. For his part, Rubén García assisted the only Rojillo goal in Barça’s visit to El Sadar on matchday 14, but the Valencian player is winless against the Catalan giants in his career (E3, P9).
Key stat: Seven red cards have been shown in Osasuna’s last seven away games in LL.
Barcelona – Osasuna : Betting Tips
Barcelona – Win Odds: 1.25
