Real Madrid will be aiming to secure their 22nd La Liga victory of the 2023-24 campaign when they make the trip to Estadio El Sadar on Saturday afternoon to tackle Osasuna.
Los Blancos are currently top of the table, seven points ahead of second-placed Girona, while Osasuna occupy 10th position, seven points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad.
Match preview
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Osasuna brought a four-game unbeaten run into their clash with Girona last weekend, but they were unable to continue their strong form, suffering a 2-0 loss to the Catalan outfit.
The result left Jagoba Arrasate's side on 36 points from 28 matches this season, which is currently enough for 10th position in the La Liga table, seven points off sixth-placed Real Sociedad in the battle for European spots.
Los Rojillos finished seventh in La Liga last season, in addition to making the Copa del Rey final, but there has been a drop in their performance level in 2023-24, with consistency proving to be a problem.
Osasuna boast a record of six wins, three draws and five defeats from their 14 home league matches this season, and they will be welcoming a Real Madrid outfit with the best away record in Spain's top flight this term, collecting 31 points from 14 matches, recording nine wins in the process.
The Pamplona-based outfit have not managed to beat Real Madrid in Spain's top flight since January 2011, and they suffered a 4-0 defeat in the reverse fixture between the two sides at Bernabeu earlier this season.
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Real Madrid have been the standout team in La Liga this season, winning 21, drawing six and losing one of their 28 matches to collect 69 points, which has left them at the top of the division.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have a seven-point advantage over second-placed Girona and are eight clear of in-form Barcelona in third, so they are very much in charge of the title race at this stage, but there is still a lot of football to be played before the end of the campaign.
Los Blancos booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League earlier this month, with the team searching for yet more European glory, while they were impressive in La Liga last weekend, recording a 4-0 victory over struggling Celta Vigo at Bernabeu.
Real Madrid's final game of the month will come at home to Athletic Bilbao on March 31, while they will also have the Champions League to think about in April, and it will be fascinating to see how the campaign ends for a team that could add a certain Kylian Mbappe to their squad this summer.
The capital giants have been victorious on their last two visits to Osasuna in Spain's top flight, including a 2-0 success in the corresponding clash last term, but their only league defeat of this season did come on their travels - a 3-1 reverse to Atletico Madrid back in September.
Team News
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Osasuna will be without the services of four players on Saturday through injury, with Aimar Oroz, David Garcia, Kike Barja and Ruben Pena unavailable for selection.
Moi Gomez is likely to replace Oroz in the starting side, but it might otherwise be the same side that took to the field for the clash with Girona last time out.
Ante Budimir has scored 14 times in La Liga during an impressive 2023-24 campaign, and he is expected to be supported by Ruben Garcia from a deeper position.
As for Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and David Alaba remain unavailable for selection due to ACL injuries, while Dani Ceballos will also be absent with a calf problem.
Los Blancos will also have to again work around the absence of leading goalscorer Jude Bellingham, with the attacker serving the second of his two-match suspension following his red card against Valencia.
Head coach Ancelotti is expected to make changes to his side following the clash with Celta last time out.
Dani Carvajal was rested for the 4-0 success but is set to return to the team at right-back, while Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni are likely to return to the midfield, with Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga expected to drop down to the bench for the contest with Osasuna.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; U Garcia, Catena, Herrando; Areso, Moncayola, Torro, M Gomez, Mojica; Ruben Garcia; Budimir
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Brahim; Vinicius, Rodrygo
We say: Osasuna 1-2 Real Madrid
This has the potential to be a very difficult match for Real Madrid, and both Girona and Barcelona will be looking for a favour from Osasuna. It would not be a surprise to see a draw here, but we just have a feeling that Ancelotti's side will be able to navigate their way to another big three points in the title race.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
