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

Barcelona will be back in action at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Thursday, having rescheduled their La Liga match with Osasuna for Thursday. The match was rescheduled after Barcelona's club doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia, passed away. However, both clubs were unsuccessful in appealing the new date of March 27 since they were worried about the international window clashing with the game.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

With an 18-match winning streak in all competitions dating back to their December victory over Atletico Madrid (W15, D3), Barcelona is still running for three further trophies to add to the Spanish Super Cup they won in January.

An exciting 4-4 draw in the first leg of the Blaugrana's Copa del Rey semi-final match against Atletico began an important series of contests leading up to the international window.

Following a dominating performance in La Liga against Real Sociedad, in which they scored four goals without answering, they advanced to a Champions League quarterfinal matchup with Borussia Dortmund, who finished second last season, thanks to a 4-2 aggregate win over Benfica.

Before the international break, Hansi Flick's team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Atletico 4-2 on the road. The win put them four points ahead of Diego Simeone's squad and tied them with Real Madrid for first place in the league.

Barcelona, who now sits atop the league, hopes to extend its winning streak to eight games on Thursday. They can clinch the championship for the second time in three seasons with a three-point advantage.

The hosts' impressive home record versus Osasuna in La Liga fixtures is worth noting. They have won all four of their previous encounters by a combined score of 10-0, with the most recent home match being a 1-0 victory in January 2024.

After losing their last six games across all competitions, Osasuna may have needed the international break to regroup.

They started that disappointing streak with a loss in the Copa del Rey to Real Sociedad, followed by a 2-2 draw in league play against Mallorca and Real Madrid.

Osasuna failed to capitalize on their point against Los Blancos, losing to Celta Vigo and Getafe before drawing 3-3 with Valencia.

They would have been especially let down by the loss to Getafe because they trailed 1-0 at halftime and ultimately lost by a score of 2-1. This setback dropped them to 14th place, where they anxiously watched the relegation zone.

Although they have a six-point lead over the bottom three, Vicente Moreno will be well aware that he needs a turnaround in form to relieve the mounting pressure on him. Unfortunately, things won't get easier with two challenging away games against Athletic Club and Barcelona.

Despite a 4-2 loss in the September matchup, with two goals from Ante Budimir (2), Bryan Zaragoza, and a late goal from Abel Bretones, Los Rojillos may take heart from their last road win against Barcelona, which was in July 2020.

Barcelona x Osasuna Team News

Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are still out with injuries. Marc Casado will be out for the season with a knee injury he suffered in Barcelona's 4-2 victory against Atletico Madrid just before the international break.

Following his withdrawal from the Spain team due to a knee injury, Inigo Martinez is anticipated to be able to play soon after returning to training.

The teenage defender Pau Cubarsi is now racing against the clock to recover from an ankle injury he sustained in Spain's quarterfinal match against the Netherlands in the first leg so he can play on Thursday.

Even though Ronald Araujo and Raphinha will represent Brazil and Uruguay on Tuesday, they are not likely to start either team's match against Osasuna on Thursday.

Zaragoza, on loan from Bayern Munich, was substituted in the last minutes of the match against Getafe due to an injury. Thus, the visitors may be without his services.

Due to his international obligations with Cameroon, Enzo Boyomo is anticipated to return to Spain on Wednesday. As a result, his readiness to start the match against Barcelona is uncertain.

If Osasuna chooses not to risk Boyomo from the opening whistle, Jorge Herrando might accompany Alejandro Catena in center defense.

After receiving his tenth yellow card of the season in Getafe's loss, midfielder Lucas Torro will be suspended for one match.

Our Predictions

Barcelona to win & Over 2.5 goals @ 1.52 on Sky247.ng

To return to league activity after the international break, both sides must set aside their differences on the rescheduled match.

Although Osasuna upset Barcelona in September, we still expect the Blaugrana to get even in 2025 by cruising to an easy victory and keeping their undefeated record intact.

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