Third-placed Atletico Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they square up against ninth-placed Osasuna.
Atletico Madrid, who suffered a disappointing loss in their previous league outing, are all set to host Osasuna. The home team are two points behind second-placed Real Madrid and are pushing for the highest possible finish with just four games to go. Meanwhile, the visitors managed to return to winning ways in their last outing after back-to-back defeats.
Diego Simeone’s men have not had the best of seasons. They have been inconsistent throughout and have been knocked out of competitions earlier than expected. They were out of the league title race weeks ago but still had to fight for a top-four finish. The Colchoneros have ensured that they feature in the UEFA Champions League next season.
They are currently third in the league and have a realistic chance of finishing second. And Atletico Madrid are unlikely to fall out of the top four. However, they will look to strengthen their position with a win over Osasuna. Atletico suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss at the hands of Elche and will be keen to bounce back.
Meanwhile, the visitors are currently ninth in the league. Osasuna have accumulated 47 points out of their 34 matches. They are just one point behind seventh-placed Girona and have a realistic chance of qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
But, to finish seventh, they will have to accumulate as many points as possible, starting with this fixture against Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, Osasuna had an incredible run in the Copa del Rey, where they lost to Real Madrid in the final.
Osasuna had lost three in a row before they finally managed to come out on top in their last outing. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-1 win over Almeria and will be hoping for a positive result against Diego Simeone’s men.
In the reverse fixture, Atletico Madrid came out on top by the barest of margins. However, they will hope this one is a touch easier. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they will use.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
The home team will be without the services of Memphis Depay, Jan Oblak, Marcos Llorente, Stefan Savic and Reinildo Mandava, who are all out injured.
🎙️ Simeone
❝Osasuna is having a great season. It’s a team that plays well, that has a good rhythm and that aspires to finish at the top of the table to be in Europe next year❞. pic.twitter.com/Oap5rtu21i
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 20, 2023
Diego Simeone will go ahead with the 3-5-2 formation. With Jan Oblak still out injured, Ivo Grbic will start in goal. Mario Hermoso, Axel Witsel and Jose Maria Gimenez will form the back three.
Nahuel Molina and Yannick Carrasco will start out wide in the centre of the park. They will feature as wing-backs, looking to stretch the opposition and go higher up the pitch at every possible opportunity.
Rodrigo De Paul, Koke and Pablo Barrios will start in the centre of the park. De Paul will feature in a more defensive role, while Koke and Barrios will look to attack at every possible opportunity. Antoine Griezmann, who has been on fire in the ongoing season, will pair up with Alvaro Morata in attack.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Grbic; Witsel, Gimenez, Hermoso; Molina, De Paul, Koke, Barrios, Carrasco; Griezmann, Morata
Osasuna
The visitors will be without the services of Nacho Vidal and Darko Brasanac, who are out due to injury. Meanwhile, Jorge Herrando is back in the mix after serving his suspension.
🎙 RUEDA DE PRENSA | Jagoba Arrasate: "Estamos peleando por algo muy bonito y eso nos tiene que hacer volar".#AtletiOsasuna
— C. A. OSASUNA (@Osasuna) May 20, 2023
Jagoba Arrasate is expected to go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation for this fixture, where Aitor Fernandez will be in goal. Aridane Hernandez and David Garcia will be the centre-back pairing in the heart of the defence. Meanwhile, Jon Moncayola and Manu Sanchez will be the full-backs for this fixture.
Moi Gomez, Lucas Torro and Aimar Oroz will be the three in the centre of the park. Torro will feature as the holding midfielder. Meanwhile, Oroz will have an attacking role throughout despite starting as a central midfielder. Kike Barja and the highly sought-after Abde Ezzalzouli will start out wide on both flanks as the wingers. And, Ante Budimir will be leading their attack.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Fernandez; Moncayola, Aridane, D Garcia, Sanchez; M Gomez, Torro, Oroz; Barja, Budimir, Abde
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won 21 out of the last 38 matches against Osasuna.
- In the era of Diego Simeone, the Madrid-based club have won each of their last six league matches at home against Osasuna.
- Atletico Madrid have won each of their last nine matches against Osasuna in the league.
- Diego Simeone’s men have won each of their last seven home games in the league.
- The home team have the second-best defence in the league having conceded 27 goals so far.
Player to Watch
Koke
Koke has come through the ranks at Atletico Madrid and established himself as the backbone of their team. The 31-year-old might not get the limelight, but he is the one who runs the show and Diego Simeone will expect his skipper to come good in this fixture.
The Spain international has three assists in his 38 matches this season and has been on the pitch for over 2,800 minutes. His numbers are not really that impressive but his impact surely has been. However, Koke would surely love to add a few more goal contributions to his name before the end of the season.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Osasuna
Atletico Madrid will be fueled by their disappointment from the previous loss and will be eager to assert their dominance against Osasuna. With their sights set on securing a higher league position, Diego Simeone’s men will display their resilience and tactical prowess to overpower Osasuna.
Meanwhile, the visitors will still have a chance of finishing seventh in the league and securing European competition. As a result, they will go all out for a win in this fixture. However, they might not have enough in their tank to get one better over Atletico Madrid. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.
