La Liga defending champions Real Madrid will travel to Osasuna as they look to stay alive in the title race.
Real Madrid will square up against Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday. Los Blancos will enter the contest in search of three important points to keep their title hopes alive. Whereas, the home team will look to create as upset as they look to push for a top 6 finish.
Osasuna will hope to return to winning ways when they host European giants Real Madrid. They haven’t been able to deliver the desired results of late. It has been a tough time for the team. The Pamplona-based club are heading into this encounter on the back of a 0-0 draw against Real Valladolid.
It was a poor outing for the club last time around as they failed to claim all three points for the third time in the last five matches. They have drawn three, won one, and lost one game in their last five league fixtures. It has been a tough time for the club and an even tougher challenge in Real Madrid awaits them.
As far as Real Madrid are concerned, they are heading into this encounter on the back of a clinical 4-0 win over Elche. They have recently won the Club World Cup and have managed to return to winning ways in the league.
Madrid are currently 2nd in the league with 48 points out of their 21 matches. They are 8 points behind league leaders Barcelona. Carlo Ancelotti’s men cannot afford a slip-up, they will have to make sure they return back with all three points.
In their last five fixtures, Los Blancos have won three, drawn one, and lost one. It hasn’t been that great a run for the Madrid-based club but they are expected to deliver when they travel to Osasuna.
In the earlier meeting between the two clubs, Osasuna managed to hold off Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu. They will be confident heading into this fixture and will look to pull off something similar when they host Madrid this time around. It will be an interesting battle between the two teams and The Hard Tackle takes a closer look into the teams and the tactics they can deploy.
Team News and Tactics
Osasuna
Jagoba Arrasate will be without the services of Aimar Oroz, Ruben Pena, and Nacho Vidal as they are out injured. The duo of Ezequiel Avila and Juan Cruz won’t be available for this fixture against Madrid as they will serving a ban.
📝 SQUAD LIST | #Osasuna calls 19 players for tomorrow's match against @realmadriden. #OsasunaRealMadrid | #LetsGoRojillos
▶️ https://t.co/u1ED5WRubr pic.twitter.com/v29O39WhFS
— C. A. OSASUNA (@osasuna_en) February 17, 2023
However, they will have a boost as Abde Ezzalzouli has returned after serving his suspension. The Barcelona loanee is expected to start against Los Blancos. Kike Garcia will also push for a place in the XI.
Arrasate is expected to go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation. Aitor Fernández will start in goal. Jon Moncayola, Aridane Hernández, Unai García, and Manu Sánchez will be the back four. Lucas Torró will start in the holding role and he will be supported by Pablo Ibáñez and Moi Gómez in midfield.
Abde Ezzalzouli and Kike García will provide the width from the flanks while Ante Budimir will start as the striker for Osasuna against Los Blancos.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Fernandez; Moncayola, Aridane, U Garcia, Sanchez; Ibanez, Torro, M Gomez; Ezzalzouli, Budimir, K Garcia
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti will be without the services of Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema. Two of their most important players will miss the trip to Osasuna. However, the return of Thibaut Courtois from injury will be a major boost.
📋✅ Our squad for the match 🆚 @Osasuna_en!#OsasunaRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/MWotkXomKv
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 17, 2023
Vinicius Junior has returned after serving his suspensions. Eden Hazard has recovered from his knee injury and is back in the squad. However, Ferland Mendy is still out with a hamstring injury.
Ancelotti will once again bank on the 4-3-3 formation. Courtois will return in goal for Los Blancos. Carvajal and Alaba will start as full-backs. Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger will pair up in the heart of the defense.
Aurélien Tchouaméni will be the holding midfielder and he will be supported by Luka Modric and Dani Ceballos in the midfield.
Federico Valverde will start on the right wing, he will drop back in the midfield and allow Ancelotti’s team to shift into a 4-4-2 while they defend. Vinicius will be back in his natural left-wing position, while Rodrygo Goes will start as the striker in Benzema’s absence.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Modric, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have won 25 of the last 39 matches against Osasuna who have managed just five wins.
- Los Blancos haven’t lost to Osasuna in their last 15 league games. It is Osasuna’s longest winless run against Madrid in the history of the competition.
- Real Madrid have won three out of their last four away matches against Osasuna in La Liga.
- Jagoba Arrasate’s men have won only one out of their last eight matches in the league.
- Osasuna have played 10 league matches at El Sadar so far this season and they are the only team in La Liga without a single draw at home this season.
Player to watch out
Federico Valverde
Valverde has been in sensational form of late. He is expected to start on the right wing for this fixture. The Los Blancos midfielder will have a key role to play in this match. While his primary role will be to contribute in attack, he will most likely have a huge impact on the defensive side of things. The Uruguay international is likely to have a big impact on the end result of this fixture. In the absence of Benzema, he will have to produce the goods to keep Madrid in the title.
Prediction
Osasuna 0-2 Real Madrid
The absence of Benzema will surely be felt on the pitch. But given the enormous talent that the likes of Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Valverde possess, Madrid should manage to get the job done. Osasuna have been struggling of late, they have only won once in their last eight outings and are likely to struggle against Real Madrid. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-0 win for Los Blancos.
