Real Madrid x Osasuna: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

After losing to Barcelona and AC Milan at the Bernabeu, reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid will be hoping to get back on track with a Saturday afternoon home match against Osasuna.

As a team, Los Blancos are in second place in La Liga, nine points behind leaders Barcelona (who have played one more game). They face an Osasuna side that is in fifth place with 21 points after 12 games.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The enormous expectations at Bernabeu have cast doubt on Carlo Ancelotti's status as head coach of Real Madrid, even if it has only been five months since the club won the Champions League to add to their La Liga triumph for the 2023-24 season.

Although every loss is bad for Real Madrid, their losses on October 26 (a 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in La Liga) and Tuesday (a 3-1 Champions League loss to Milan at Bernabeu) were particularly devastating.

The setback to Barcelona was more devastating to Los Blancos' confidence and La Liga status. Still, they will remain confident of advancing to the Champions League despite their current 18th-place finish.

Last weekend's Spanish rains forced Real Madrid and Valencia to reschedule their league matches, while Barcelona took a nine-point lead in the standings after beating Espanyol.

In other words, Real Madrid needs a win this weekend to avoid a full-blown crisis before the November international break. If Barcelona keeps up its stellar form and beats Real Sociedad, Real Madrid might not have a chance to win La Liga at all.

Ancelotti will be crossing his fingers that 25-year-old Frenchman Kylian Mbappe can finally find his groove this weekend despite rumors that he is dissatisfied with his position in the center of the field for Real Madrid.

Despite a stunning 3-0 victory in April 2004, Osasuna have failed to defeat Real Madrid at Bernabeu in La Liga since January 2011, and they have yet to win any tournament against the capital giants since then.

The Pamplona team is coming into this match in great form, having won three in a row (two of which were in La Liga). They have also kept Real Madrid to a draw on two of their past three visits to Bernabeu.

Vicente Moreno's squad has won its last two league matches, 1-0 against Real Sociedad and 2-0 against Real Valladolid. On Tuesday night, it advanced to the next round of the Copa del Rey with a 5-0 victory against Chiclana.

Osasuna is currently in fifth place in the league, three points behind Real Madrid (who have a game in hand). They have a record of six wins, three draws, and three losses from their twelve league matches this season.

In addition to being the only club to defeat Barcelona this season, Los Rojillos will be looking to pull off a historic upset at Bernabeu Stadium against Real Madrid, who have struggled to get going thus far in the 2024–25 season.

Real Madrid x Osasuna Team News

With Aurelien Tchouameni sidelined for at least a month due to an ankle injury he sustained Tuesday night against Milan, Real Madrid has taken a further injury setback heading into this encounter.

As a member of the Spanish winners' bench, Tchouameni follows in the footsteps of Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, and David Alaba.

The Uruguayan international Federico Valverde is likely to be able to play here despite a back injury he suffered against Milan; he will likely start in central midfield.

After coming off the bench for the previous match, Rodrygo is set to make his return to the starting lineup this weekend, with Eduardo Camavinga likely to get the nod in Tchouameni's absence.

Regarding Osasuna, head coach Moreno may start Ante Budimir in the center of the field, the same lineup that played against Real Valladolid at the start of the match.

Among the last third of the field, you can expect to see Bryan Zaragoza and Ruben Pena, in addition to the veteran striker Budimir, who scored 17 goals in La Liga last season and is on six goals for the 2024-25 campaign.

The fact that Raul Garcia scored twice in his most recent Copa del Rey match against Chiclana does not bode well for his chances of earning a starting position.

Since Osasuna has not had any new injuries or illnesses this week, head coach Andrés Moreno may start his chosen eleven in what promises to be an exciting contest.

Our Predictions

Madrid is to win and under 4.5 goals @ 1.53 on Sky247.ng

We wouldn't be shocked if Saturday's match in Madrid ended in a draw, as Osasuna would be confident in their prospects of beating an unmotivated Real Madrid. But we think that Real Madrid will put up a good enough fight to get the three points they need before the international break in November.

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