Read a match report from El Sadar here:
It was not the dodgy MSN acronym, but rather just M who lit up this affair. Messi had defenders on their backsides as he tucked home his second goal of the afternoon, after leaving them quaking for much of a comfortable 3-0 win for Barcelona. Luis Enrique’s side opened the scoring after Luis Suárez scored a tap-in, before Messi dragged the game by the scruff of the neck, and ultimately won the game for Barça. Thanks for your emails, tweets and company. Bye!
Full-time: Osasuna 0-3 Barcelona
Lionel Messi scored twice after Luis Suárez opened the scoring on the hour mark at El Sadar. A routine win in the end, after 59 minutes of frustration for Luis Enrique. But that goal sparked Barcelona into life, with Messi at centre stage, and his second goal, and the visitors’ third, a joyful finish.
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GOAL! Osasuna 0-3 Barcelona (Messi, 90+2)
It had been coming. Messi wriggles past two Osasuna defenders before jinking to his left and burying the ball into the top-right corner. That’s 17 goals in 10 league games for Messi against Osasuna.
90 min: It should be three-nil, but Messi’s shot is eventually blocked. Every time Messi gets the ball, he surges into the opposition box, frightening Osasuna defenders as he goes.
89 min: One Osasuna fan continues to make a racket, but Barcelona are well on the way to celebrating their first league win in four matches.
87 min: Sergi Roberto skilfully skips a couple of challenges in defence, before starting another attack. And it’s 75% possession – the lion’s share of the ball then – for the visitors.
85 min: To back that up, Barcelona have made more than 700 passes and have enjoyed 74% possession. It’s worth remembering, though, Osasuna were very much in the game for the best part of an hour, until Luis Suárez’s opener.
83 min: Luis Suárez is released after a fine sweeping move by Barcelona but he’s caught narrowly offside by the linesman. Osasuna have very little grip on this match anymore, with Barcelona very much dictating the tempo.
81 min: Messi’s goal was his 21st of the season in all competitions. Meanwhile, Ter Stegen is forced into a save as Berengeur attempts a lob at goal. It’s a good save, but fairly routine in the end.
79 min: Rafinha replaces Andre Gomes for Barcelona. Gomes slumps into the away dugout, with the job all but done. Things almost got a little interesting, but De las Cuevas failed to pick out a team-mate from the right after cutting inside Jordi Alba.
77 min: Leon’s back up on his feet and drills a shot at goal. It’s pretty tame but it’s a shot on target, with Ter Stegen gathering comfortably.
75 min: Osasuna’s star man, Leon, is hurt after a fairly innocuous tackle with Sergi Roberto. Play is back underway soon after, and Barcelona back in possession. Normality is restored, with Barcelona essentially coasting to victory.
72 min: Messi started the move before driving into the box after laying the ball off to Jordi Alba. It’s another simple finish, with Messi slotting home from close range. Credit must go to Alba, too, who slid the ball across for the Barcelona forward to sweep home. Alba has been involved in almost everything since that little, er, pep-talk from Enrique early on.
GOAL! Osasuna 0-2 Barcelona (Messi, 72)
Who else?
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69 min: A change for the hosts, as Riera replaces Kenan, with Osasuna a little flat at present. Barcelona are in complete control at El Sadar.
68 min: Once more, Osasuna’s goalkeeper Perez is left angered after Messi jinks inside Bonnin on the edge of the box, before getting a shot away at goal. Perez is forced into a smart save down to his left, although the resulting corner comes to nothing.
66 min: Osasuna are simply affording Messi too much time and space around their penalty area. Again, the Argentina striker picks up the ball before Perez collects. Barcelona, and Luis Enrique, look less stressed now, with their first league win in four matches on the horizon.
64 min: Messi almost nudges the ball through to Luis Suárez, but he’s crowded out by the Osasuna defender Clerc, who does well to track back on the striker’s blindside. Meanwhile, it’s a first change of the afternoon for Barcelona, with Turan replaced by Denis Suárez.
62 min: Barcelona have been perked by that goal, just when things seemed to be starting to get away from them. Osasuna make a change, with Oier replaced by Tano Bonnin.
60 min: That’s a blow, mentally, for Osasuna, who had started the second half compactly, and hit the bar through Leon. Osasuna, arguably were the better team with 14 minutes gone in this second half. But Messi was allowed to sniff out his team-mate, Jordi Alba, who played a simple sliderule pass into Suárez, leaving the striker with an open goal.
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GOAL! Osasuna 0-1 Barcelona (Suárez, 59)
It’s a tap-in for the striker, after brilliant work from Messi, who hovered around the Osasuna box, in search of his team-mate. Suspicions of offside, but Suárez wheels away with his 13th goal of the season.
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56 min: More patient possession from Barcelona but it’s Osasuna who have come closest to scoring this half, through León. Osasuna appear to be growing in confidence, too, but goodness me, they just cannot retain possession of the round, luminous yellow thing.
54 min: Osasuna gift the ball back to Barcelona, shortly after clearing the danger, with Messi driving towards goal. Rafinha’s warming-up for the visitors, with Enrique pondering over changes at El Sadar.
51 min: So we’ve had two shots against the woodwork, but no opening as of yet. Meanwhile Barcelona win a foul on the half-way line. They go again, but Osasuna, are yet to just roll over. In fact, León again proves a handful, getting the better of Umtiti before Pique is forced to clear.
49 min: Brilliant from Sergio León, the Osasuna forward! But it’s only the woodwork, sadly. He beats Umtiti before driving towards the right, where he takes a quick glance at goal before bending a delightful chip beyond Ter Stegen and onto the crossbar. A fine effort, and again León causes problems for the Barcelona backline.
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48 min: Luis Enrique looks a little nervous on the touchline, arms folded. His team, meanwhile, build another attack with Iniesta and Busquets interchanging passes before Suárez gives the ball away.
46 min: Barcelona claim the ball back after Osasuna started the second-half, before Riera presses Messi and wins the ball back down the left flank. Clerc then attempts the long throw which bounces into the six-yard box before Umtiti clears.
The players are back out for the second half, with Osasuna about to resume things any second. One substitution, and a like-for-like change, as Osasuna’s Flano, who picked up a knock in the first half, has been replaced by David Garcia.
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Barcelona have not won in La Liga since 6 November, at Sevilla. They’ve carved open Osasuna time and again in Pamplona, but only registered three shots on target during the opening 45 minutes. Luis Enrique’s side have drawn their last three matches in the league, remember. Osasuna, currently rock-bottom in La Liga, are the latest team to frustrate Barcelona. Reasons to be cheerful? Barcelona have gone in goalless at the break in their last four domestic matches.
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Half-time! Osasuna 0-0 Barcelona
Jordi Alba drives a shot harmlessly wide of goal, and that’s the last action of this first 45 minutes. Barcelona have enjoyed almost of the possession, spurning two or three opportunities in front of goal. Osasuna, while hardly impressive, have provided the visitors something to think about at times, too. In reality, though, one of Suárez or Messi ought to have given Barcelona the lead here. It’s all to play for, with the second half coming up shortly!
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45 min: Berenguer is played through down the right with a high, looping ball but he’s eventually crowded out by three Barcelona defenders. There will be a minute of added time.
43 min: Osasuna go up the other end but Umtiti does well to close out the opposition. Torres then strikes at goal from distance but it comes to nothing. Can Osasuna, who have come to life suddenly, grab an unlikely goal before half-time?
42 min: Barcelona almost open the scoring with a trademark training ground move. Jordi Alba starts it, finding Turan on the byline before cutting the ball back for Messi, who drags his shot narrowly wide. Barcelona have had 11 shots at goal, but only three on target.
40 min: Suárez tries to find Turan, who has been fairly quiet here after bagging a hat-trick in midweek. De las Cuevas clears the ball before Clerc then has to intervene to deny Messi a sight of goal.
39 min: Oier does well to snuff the ball away from Iniesta down the left, before an offside call against Messi hands them back possession. Sergi Roberto then begins the next Barcelona attack from a defensive position, before Ter Stegen is again closed down at the back.
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35 min: A brief stoppage in play with Flano injured in giving away a foul around 35 yards out. Messi scoops it into the area but it’s cleared, but only to Iniesta. The Spaniard hits an instinctive shot at goal, a left-footed volley and it bends away from goal. Danger averted, but plenty of invention on show again from Barcelona.
33 min: Iniesta powers a pass towards Messi but it almost cannons off the legs of the Osasuna defender to find a lurking Suárez. Osasuna again have two banks of four behind the ball, but in fairness the counterattack, particularly with Sergio Leon down the left seems to be garnering a little danger in attack.
29 min: A big let-off for Barcelona! Sergio Leon gets the better of Pique down the left flank, and does brilliantly to pick out De las Cuevas, unmarked on the right-hand side. He takes a touch before unleashing a shot at goal, that almost runs into the path of a outstretched Riera in the box. Barcelona, for all of their attacking swagger, look a little frail at the back.
28 min: More relentless pressure from Barcelona comes to an end when Berengeur is fouled by Busquets. Osasuna are enjoying some light relief just for a moment, knocking the ball around the back themselves.
25 min: Messi almost smuggles the ball into the net, after a neat give-and-go with Luis Suárez. Messi drives into the box and attempts to lob the outrushing Perez, but his effort goes over. Another good chance squandered for the visitors. There’s an argument that a bog-standard toe-poke might have done the job there. Messi tends to only do the exquisite, though.
Meanwhile, Jordi Alba is on the ground after a late challenge from Oier. It was very late, and high, and Alba’s gradually getting back to his feet.
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23 min: Jordi Alba is forced to slide into the advertising hoardings in a bid to get cross the ball, but does so. Osasuna clear the ball for a corner, which leads to little more than another corner. With the second, Iniesta attempts to bend a shot into the far corner of Perez’s goal but he’s not quite executed it. Still 0-0, then.
20 min: Ter Stegen is again closed down, with Osasuna charging him down inside the six-yard box. That tactic may just give them hope here. But just as they do that, Barcelona counterattack although Messi cannot be found by Arda Turan. Normal service is resumed, with Barcelona gaining control of the ball in defence once more.
19 min: Sergio Leon drives down the left for Osasuna but Busquets eventually gets the better of the outnumbered forward. Barcelona have enjoyed 76% possession so far, away from home.
Barça third-strip news: “You’re very much correct about that kit,” emails Philip Wainwright. “Osasuna’s is lovely, though.”
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16 min: Osasuna eventually press Barcelona and almost get their reward, with Ter Stegen closed down virtually on his goal-line and it all got a little too much for the keeper, who was forced to kick the ball out under pressure.
15 min: Another chances goes begging for Barcelona! That’s three now, it’s surely only a matter of time before they find a goal? Sergi Roberto slides a ball through for Suárez, who unselfishly hands the ball to Messi. But the striker’s effort from inside the box is kept out by the legs of Osasuna stopper Perez.
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14 min: Iniesta, the Barça captain, picks out Umtiti with a deep free-kick, and the unmarked France defender heads over. A half-chance for Barcelona.
12 min: Barcelona hit the post! Jordi Alba, moments after those words of wisdom from Enrique, flies down the left flank and picks out Suárez. The Uruguay striker uses his strength to hold off Iván Márquez before swivelling and getting a shot away, that rattles the post.
10 min: Osasuna have a free-kick from 35 yards out, it’s scooped in but it’s literally down the throat of Ter Stegen. That was painfully poor. Enrique, meanwhile, has a word with Jordi Alba, seemingly asking him to bomb forward.
7 min: More of the same for Enrique’s side. It’s all very comfortable. The first big chance has come and gone for Barça. Suárez receives a fine ball from the outside of the boot from Messi, Suárez attempts to knock the ball over Osasuna keeper Perez and does so, but it’s just wide. More importantly, Barcelona’s green third kit is not a classic, is it?
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5 min: Osasuna seem to be getting jeered by home fans for allowing Barça to knock the ball about, without any pressure on the ball. It’s all 11 players behind the ball for the hosts.
3 min: Lionel Messi gifts the ball to Osasuna down the right, but that’s about it. Barcelona are back on the attack, and have the hosts penned in once again.
2 min: Pique does well to intervene after Sergio Leon runs into a gap between Umtiti and Pique. The resulting corner comes to nothing after being recycled by Berenguer.
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1 min: We’re off! Osasuna, straightaway, get a few bodies behind the ball. Iniesta tries to find Jordi Alba early down the left flank but it’s out for a goal-kick.
The teams are out on the pitch at El Sadar, doing the pre-match formalities, coin toss, handshakes and sprinting in zig-zags for a bit.
Kick-off is the small matter of five minutes away, so some predictions won’t do any harm about now. “The giant is back for FCB, Iniesta has been missed but he’s back now (enjoy him, he won’t be around forever). An away win by at least three!” tweets John McEnerney.
Jose Enrique’s side travel to El Sadar on the back of an easy Champions League win in midweek – but they have drawn their last three La Liga matches and four of their last five games. They’re unbeaten in seven, though, and the returning Luis Suárez will doubtless be feeling dandy after being rested on Tuesday.
In the buildup to this one, the Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has said contract talks are underway with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, with the latter expected to sign until 2022. “It will be a great Christmas present, not necessarily for Luis as he already knows he’s going to continue here, but for football fans,” Bartomeu boasted on Thursday, adding Messi’s situation has left him “more relaxed”.
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A quick glance at the team news then, and there’s a place in the hosts’ starting lineup for Oriol Riera, who was part of Barcelona B until 2006. Riera is on loan from Deportivo La Coruña, in his second spell with Osasuna after leaving the club for Wigan Athletic in 2014. His only goal in English football came against Blackpool.
Neymar, as we know is suspended for Barça, so there’s three changes in total from the clásico draw earlier this month. Neymar’s replaced by Arda Turan while Javier Mascherano and Ivan Rakitic make way for Andres Iniesta and Samuel Umtiti.
The teams!
Osasuna: Pérez, Flaño, Oier, Leon, Causic, Riera, Torres, Berenguer, De las Cuevas, Clerc, Márquez
Subs: Mario, Tano, Garcia, Rivière, Garcia, Fuentes, Kenan
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, S Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Jordi Alba, Busquets, André Gomes, Iniesta, Turan, L Suárez, Messi
Subs: Cillessen, Rakitic, D Suárez, Rafinha, Mascherano, Alcácer, Digne
Referee: Juan Manera
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Preamble
It’s basically top meets bottom, only Barcelona are second, six points behind Zinedine Zidane’s indefatigable Real Madrid in La Liga. But this is a chance for Barça on the back of three straight draws in the league to impress, to trounce Osasuna and win the game good and proper, by a ridiculous goal margin. After all. that’s precisely what happened the last time the two teams met at Camp Nou two years ago, with Lionel Messi helping himself to a hat-trick.
“Barcelona are still Barça,” Neymar, who is suspended for Saturday’s match, said in the buildup to this one. “We have not changed our style and we want to win everything. We should not look at Madrid, but do our thing and in the end we will see.”
With just one win in 14 league matches, Osasuna are banana skin opposition, waiting to trip up Messi and co. What happens in Pamplona remains to be seen.
Kick-off is at 12pm GMT, 1pm local time.
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