Osasuna will be bidding to make it successive victories in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign with a home fixture against struggling Real Valladolid on Saturday afternoon.
The home side are currently eighth in the La Liga table, boasting 18 points from their opening 11 matches of the season, while Real Valladolid sit 19th, having picked up just eight points from their first 11 games of 2024-25.
Match preview
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Osasuna boast a record of five wins, three draws and three defeats from their 11 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 18 points leaving them in eighth spot in the table, only three points behind third-placed Villarreal.
Vicente Moreno's side will enter this match off the back of an excellent away victory, beating Real Sociedad 2-0 last weekend, with Lucas Torro and Ante Budimir finding the back of the net in the standout win.
Osasuna have scored 16 times in Spain's top flight this season, but they have also conceded 16 and may need to tighten up defensively in order to become a potential challenger for a European finish this term.
The hosts have won four of their last five games in front of their own supporters, but they were beaten 2-1 by Real Betis in their last game at El Sadar and will therefore be bidding to bounce back in their final home fixture ahead of the November international break.
Osasuna have only lost one of their last nine La Liga matches against Real Valladolid, although there have been five draws during that period, including a 0-0 when the two teams last locked horns in February 2023.
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Real Valladolid were able to gain some confidence earlier this week, with Paulo Pezzolano's side progressing to the second round of the Copa del Rey courtesy of a 4-1 victory over Astur.
The win was their second in their last three matches in all competitions, having also beaten Alaves 3-2 away from home in the middle of October, but they lost 2-1 at home to Villarreal in Spain's top flight last weekend.
A difficult 2024-25 campaign to date has seen the White and Violets only pick up eight points from 11 matches, which has left them in 19th spot in the table, one point ahead of basement side Valencia.
Real Valladolid have only scored nine times in the league this season, while they have conceded 23, which is the worst defensive record in the division - a concerning statistic as they battle to avoid the drop this term.
Pezzolano's side finished second in the Segunda Division last season to secure a return to the top flight, and they are aiming to make it successive campaigns at this level of football for the first time since 2021.
Team News
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Osasuna will once again be without the services of Ruben Garcia due to a muscular problem, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape ahead of their clash with Real Valladolid.
Due to the nature of the performance and result against Real Sociedad, it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field here, with Budimir once again leading the line.
Bryan Zaragoza and Ruben Pena should continue in the wide positions for the home side, while Aimar Oroz is likely to be given the nod over Pablo Ibanez to once again start in a three-man midfield.
As for Real Valladolid, Cesar de la Hoz is still missing with a back problem, while Cenk Ozkacar continues to battle a hamstring complaint and is not expected to be available this weekend.
Juanmi Latasa came up with a brace against Astur in the Copa del Rey last time out, but it might not be enough for him to feature at centre-forward this weekend, with the Spaniard likely to drop to the bench.
Head coach Pezzolano will make a number of changes to the side that started in the cup, with Raul Moro, Javi Sanchez, Mario Martin and Mamadou Sylla set to be among those to return to the XI.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Catena, Boyomo, Cruz; Moncayola, Torro, Oroz; Pena, Budimir, Zaragoza
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Hein; Perez, Sanchez, Torres, Rosa; Martin, Comert; Tuhami, Amallah, Moro; Sylla
We say: Osasuna 2-1 Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid have now won their last two matches on their travels, but Osasuna have been impressive in Spain's top flight this season, and we are finding it difficult to predict anything other than a home win for Moreno's team.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
