Barcelona can go on the cusp of clinching the La Liga title when they go up vs Osasuna to Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday.
The 2022/23 La Liga season is fast approaching its end, with the long-winding campaign reaching its final stage. League leaders Barcelona will be in action on Tuesday night vs Osasuna at Spotify Camp Nou, with the Blaugrana looking to take a step closer to reclaiming the top-flight title.
Barcelona would have hoped to battle Real Madrid at the top of La Liga when the season began. But they might not have envisioned being comfortably ahead of their bitter rivals with the campaign’s final stretch remaining. And they bounced back from a surprising defeat to Rayo Vallecano with a 4-0 hammering of Real Betis this past weekend.
On the other hand, Osasuna will be in action in the Copa del Rey final later this week. The Rojillos have made significant progress under Jagoba Arrasate this season. While reaching their first cup final in 18 years is already impressive, they are also in contention to secure European qualification. And Arrasate’s charges are eighth in the standings, although they lost momentum this past weekend by losing 2-0 at home to Real Sociedad.
The reverse fixture saw Barcelona come from a goal down to beat Osasuna 2-1, with Robert Lewandowski and Gerard Pique seeing red in the game. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
🚨 The squad for #BarçaOsasuna! pic.twitter.com/PkgdA2gekx
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 1, 2023
Xavi Hernandez does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Osasuna on Tuesday, the Barcelona manager will be bereft of the services of only one first-team player.
Sergi Roberto remains the only absentee from the Barcelona squad vs Osasuna. And the hosts will line up in a 4-3-3 formation on Tuesday, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen being an automatic pick between the sticks.
Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo should form the central defensive partnership again. And Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde will continue as the full-backs. The latter, in particular, will carry a threat in the final third with his marauding runs and pinpoint delivery.
As for the midfield unit, Xavi might hand Pedri some rest after the youngster played some of the recent games. So Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Sergio Busquets will form the trifecta in the middle of the park. Finally, Ousmane Dembele should return to the starting eleven after regaining fitness. The Frenchman will join Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; de Jong, Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele
Osasuna
Like his counterpart in the Barcelona dugout, Jagoba Arrasate does not have many pressing issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Spotify Camp Nou. The Osasuna manager will be without two first-team players on Tuesday.
David Garcia is recovering from a muscle injury, while Darko Brasanac is recovering from a long-term knee issue. Otherwise, the Osasuna manager has a full-strength squad heading into the game vs Barcelona.
📸🔋 #BarçaOsasuna pic.twitter.com/lSjtef13J8
— C. A. OSASUNA (@Osasuna) May 1, 2023
Sergio Herrera will take his spot between the sticks, with Osasuna lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Aridane Hernandez and Juan Cruz should form the central defensive partnership. And Nacho Vidal and Manu Sanchez should be the two full-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Jon Moncayola and Iker Munoz should pair up in the double pivot. The two central midfielders will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park and provide an added layer of cover to the backline.
Aimar Oroz should be the most advanced midfielder for Osasuna. And the 21-year-old will look to pull the strings high up the pitch for the visitors. Moi Gomez and Kike Barja will be the two wide attackers. So Barcelona loanee Ez Abde, whose future remains uncertain, will be on the bench. And finally, Kike Garcia will spearhead the Osasuna attack vs Barcelona.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Herrera; Vidal, Aridane, Cruz, Manu Sanchez; Moncayola, Munoz; Barja, Oroz, Moi Gomez; Kike
Key Stats
- Barcelona have lost just one of their last 13 games vs Osasuna in La Liga (W9 D3), 1-2 in July 2020, scoring at least once in each of their most recent ten league matches (34 goals in total, an average of 3.4 per game).
- Barcelona have scored more goals against Osasuna than any other side in La Liga history, both overall (178) and in home games (120).
- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in 24 of their 32 La Liga games this season, equalling their best tally of clean sheets in a single season in the history of the competition (24 in 44 matches in the 1986/87 campaign).
- Osasuna have suffered four defeats in their last eight La Liga games (W3 D1), as many as in their previous 15 league games (W5 D6 L4).
- Jagoba Arrasate has lost four of his last five games against Barcelona in La Liga (D1), having suffered just one defeat in his first four league games against them (W2 D1).
Player to Watch
Ousmane Dembele
Dembele has endured a frustrating second half of the 2022/23 season, especially since returning from the World Cup. The French international was sensational in the first few months of the campaign, contributing to several goals and singlehandedly influencing games.
But a long-term hamstring injury kept him on the sidelines for several weeks. However, Dembele has regained fitness and returned to action this past weekend against Real Betis. And after a bright cameo in that game, he will be eager to make his mark during the run-in. So his performance on Tuesday will be crucial for him to build his sharpness in the coming weeks.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna
Barcelona will head into this contest knowing they can take another big step towards clinching the La Liga title. But the hosts should not take Osasuna lightly, as the visitors can give any team a run for their money. The Rojillos will have one eye on the weekend’s Copa del Rey final.
But Jagoba Arrasate knows his team can still clinch European qualification in La Liga. So Osasuna will take the game to Barcelona, although they might struggle to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen. After all, the Catalan giants are nearly impregnable at home. And the returning Ousmane Dembele should inspire Barcelona to a 2-0 win on Tuesday.
