Barcelona vs. Osasuna: La Liga Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

On Saturday night, Barcelona will face Osasuna at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in the continuation of their La Liga championship campaign. With 57 points, Blaugrana are atop La Liga after winning their previous six matches in the Spanish top division. Osasuna, on the other hand, has been winless since February's start and is in eleventh place.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The Catalan giants are riding high in all three of their current competitions. They have not lost a single game since December 21, so Barcelona's season might conclude on a high note.

With 57 points after 26 matches, Hansi Flick's team has jumped to the top of La Liga, one point ahead of Atletico Madrid in second place and three clear of Real Madrid, the defending champions, who are in third position.

With just three goals allowed in La Liga this season, Barcelona is riding high on a six-game winning streak, capped up by last weekend's 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad.

The Catalan club is riding high heading into this encounter after a 1-0 win against Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match in Portugal. Flick's squad is well-positioned to advance to the next round.

Meanwhile, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are tied at four goals each going into the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, which will take place at Wanda Metropolitano on April 2.

With 71 goals scored this season, Blaugrana are by far the best-scoring team in La Liga. Robert Lewandowski has scored 21 goals, putting him in first place.

Ante Budimir, an Osasuna striker, has scored fourteen goals in La Liga this season—the third-highest total in the league after Lewandowski and Real Madrid sensation Kylian Mbappe (17).

However, Vicente Moreno's Los Rojillos have been winless recently, with their last victory occurring at the beginning of February. In the five games since then, they have drawn three times and lost twice.

Osasuna will be coming off a 3-3 tie with Valencia, when Los Che scored in the 93rd minute to earn a point. Their recent performances have dropped them to eleventh place in the league, and they will be looking to bounce back here.

However, with five points separating sixth-place Real Betis and Moreno's squad, a return to Europe next season is well within the realm of possibility, especially with so much riding on the remaining games of the season.

Osasuna are aiming to complete a La Liga double over Barcelona. They defeated the Catalan giants 4-2 in the September match, and they also won 2-1 on the road in July 2020.

Barcelona x Osasuna Team News

Despite missing his team's past two matches due to sickness, Barcelona is keeping its fingers crossed that midfielder Gavi will be able to play on Saturday. Word on the street is that he was almost ready to face Benfica.

While Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal continue to miss time due to long-term knee issues, Andreas Christensen is finally healthy following a recent muscle problem; nevertheless, it is unclear whether he will be featured.

Ronald Araujo and Marc Casado are likely to be recalled, as is Pau Cubarsi, who was sent off against Benfica but is fit to play and should start. Dani Olmo might replace Gavi at number 10 since Gavi has been out with an injury.

On the other hand, Osasuna will be without star forward Aimar Oroz for this encounter. Oroz scored twice against Los Che but was withdrawn early in the second half of their match against Valencia due to a muscle injury.

In case Oroz gets injured, Kike Barja is ready to step in, while Abel Bretones might be benched in favour of Juan Cruz at left-back.

In addition to Ruben Garcia and Bryan Zaragoza, Budimir—who is, as previously said, having a fantastic campaign—will almost certainly start for the team.

Our predictions

Barcelona to win & Over 2.5 goals @ 1.40 on Sky247.ng

We expect it to be a routine home win for Flick's side, who are the team to catch in La Liga at the moment. Osasuna are a quality side, and they have enough attacking talent in their squad to cause Barcelona problems here. However, the Catalan giants are hard to ignore, especially with so many players in excellent form.

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