Real Madrid will look to further strengthen their position at the top of La Liga when they hit the road to face tenth-placed Osasuna.
Osasuna will look to return to winning ways when they host Real Madrid on Saturday. Los Blancos have not been at their best of late, but they have managed to make it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and have a comfortable lead atop La Liga. Meanwhile, the hosts are tenth on the points table, and they have been in decent form apart from their previous outing which ended in a defeat.
The home team currently have 36 points out of their 28 matches thanks to ten wins and six draws. They have won three out of their last five league games. But, Osasuna are heading into this one on the back of a defeat and will look to return to winning ways when they host the league leaders.
Girona were keen on keeping their title pursuit alive, and they did manage to do so by defeating Osasuna 2-0. The home team were the second best on the night, and they will have to put up a much better fight against the team in white to stand a chance.
Los Blancos are top of the table with 69 points in 28 outings thanks to 21 wins. They have only lost one league game so far and have a seven-point advantage over second-placed Girona heading into the final ten games of the season.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team have been a bit inconsistent of late. But they are heading into this one on the back of a 4-0 win over Celta Vigo which will surely give them a boost. They have a lot of quality in their ranks and are expected to make things difficult for Osasuna. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Osasuna
The home team will be without the services of Aimar Oroz, David Garcia, Kike Barja and Ruben Pena because of injuries. Despite the defeat at the hands of Girona, Osasuna are unlikely to make major changes to the XI that started in that fixture. They will go ahead with the 3-5-1-1 formation, where Sergio Herrera will be in goal.
The back three will be made up of Alejandro Catena, Unai García, and Jorge Herrando. The trio will look for a clean sheet, and they will have the support of Jesus Areso and Johan Mojica who will feature as the wing-backs.
Jon Moncayola and Lucas Torro will feature alongside Moi Gomez in the centre of the park. They will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure the Real Madrid midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. Ruben Garcia will feature as the attacking midfielder just in behind Ante Budimir who will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Herrera; Unai Garcia, Catena, Herrando; Areso, Moncayola, Torro, Moi Gomez, Mojica; Ruben Garcia; Budimir
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba remain sidelined with long-term ACL injuries. Jude Bellingham will be serving the second of his two-match suspension following the red card against Valencia. Dani Ceballos is struggling with a calf issue and might not be available here.
Carlo Ancelotti is expected to make a few changes to the XI that won last time out. They will line up in a 4-4-2, where Andriy Lunin will continue in goal. Dani Carvajal will return as the right-back, and Ferland Mendy will continue on the left flank. In the heart of the defence, Antonio Rudiger will pair up with Nacho Fernandez. They will look for yet another clean sheet.
Aurelien Tchouameni will take charge as the holding midfielder, and he will have the support of Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde. They will look to ensure Real Madrid have the majority of the ball possession. Brahim Diaz will start as the attacking midfielder with Bellingham suspended. In attack, the Brazilian duo of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior will pair up again.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Brahim; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have the best defence and the best attack in the division. They have conceded just 18 goals and have scored 60 in their 28 outings.
- Los Blancos have won on both their previous visitors to Osasuna in the league.
- Osasuna have not defeated Real Madrid in the league since 2011.
- The reverse fixture between the two teams ended 4-0 in favour of the team in white.
- Real Madrid have the best away record this term, they have collected 31 points from 14 matches while on the road.
Player to Watch
Rodrygo
Rodrygo has been doing a sensational job for Real Madrid since the departure of Karim Benzema. In the ongoing season, the 23-year-old Brazilian winger has featured in 40 matches. He has been on the pitch for over 2,800 minutes and has contributed towards 21 goals.
He has found the back of the net on 13 occasions and has eight assists to his name. Carlo Ancelotti will hope he carries on the good work as we head into the final phase of the season where every match matters.
Prediction
Osasuna 0-3 Real Madrid
Los Blancos are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-0 win, and they will be confident of getting the right result here. Meanwhile, Osasuna are heading into this one on the back of a defeat and they have not defeated Real Madrid in the league since 2011. They are unlikely to get the better of Carlo Ancelotti’s team given the kind of quality they have. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the away team.
