Osasuna make the trip to Real Betis on Wednesday evening having put together a four-match unbeaten streak in La Liga, a run which has kept them in the hunt for a top-half finish.
Meanwhile, Betis' draw at Celta Vigo at the weekend has moved the club to within one victory of guaranteeing their top-flight status for another 12 months.
Match preview
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While Real Betis continue to under-perform as the season moves closer to a climax, interim boss Alexis Trujillo is close to ensuring that Los Verdiblancos can enjoy a comfortable end to the campaign.
The 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo has taken Trujillo's return to four points from as many matches, extending the club's advantage over the teams in the bottom three.
Although Betis should be featuring far higher up the table, their most recent result has at least kept the pressure off a talented squad which may be broken up over the coming months.
Despite a trip to Atletico Madrid still featuring on their schedule, avoiding defeat in one of their other three games will force one of the bottom three to win each of their remaining matches.
Unlike their hosts, Osasuna travel to the Benito Villamarin Stadium with the freedom to chase maximum points in a bid to further improve on an already excellent campaign.
After earning promotion from the second tier, Jagoba Arraste would have been more than satisfied with avoiding relegation in their first season back among Spain's elite.
However, three wins and a draw, a run which has also included three clean sheets, have left Los Rojillos just three points adrift of eighth position.
While finishing in the top 10 would represent a huge achievement, there will be an acknowledgement that opportunities to mix it with the more established teams higher in the division may not come around in the future.
The reverse fixture was contested all the way back on September 20, with a 0-0 draw extending Osasuna's unbeaten start to the season to six matches.
Real Betis La Liga form: DLWLLD
Osasuna La Liga form: LLWWWD
Team News
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While Enric Gallego is available again after suspension, the Osasuna forward remains a doubt with an adductor injury.
Regardless of whether he is passed fit, Jose Arnaiz is in contention for a starting role in attack.
Betis will be able to call upon Nabil Fekir, who is available after serving a ban.
However, Sergio Canales misses out for the same reason, which should result in Carles Alena getting the nod in midfield.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Robles; Emerson, Mandi, Feddal, Pedraza; Alena, Rodriguez, Carvalho; Fekir, Iglesias, Tello
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Vidal, Garcia, Hernandez, Lato; Torres, Moncayola, Merida, Garcia; Gallego, Arnaiz
We say: Real Betis 1-1 Osasuna
On the back of 10 points from a possible 12, Osasuna head into this contest as the clear favourites. However, Betis have enough quality in their ranks to claim a share of the spoils which may prove enough to secure their place in La Liga for next season.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Betis win with a probability of 44.03%. A win for Osasuna had a probability of 30.49% and a draw had a probability of 25.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Betis win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.03%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.06%) and 2-0 (7.53%). The likeliest Osasuna win was 0-1 (8.06%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.09%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 3.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Real Betis would win this match.
