New La Liga leaders Real Madrid have the chance to move four points clear of Barcelona when they visit Osasuna on Saturday night.
After producing a statement performance in a 4–1 victory over the red-hot Real Sociedad last weekend, Madrid watched on as Barça contrived to throw away a second-half lead at Catalonian rivals Girona—albeit in controversial circumstances—on Monday night.
Álvaro Arbeloa’s side are thus back on top of the table, and their imperious record against Osasuna suggests Barça will be playing catch up when they host Levante on Sunday.
Madrid enter this contest off the back of a Champions League victory over Benfica that edged them towards the round of 16, but the game was marred by Gianluca Prestianni’s alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior, who won Tuesday night’s first leg with a superb goal.
Prestianni and Benfica are due to visit the Santiago Bernabéu in the return leg of their playoff tie next Wednesday.
Before that, though, Madrid must take care of business in Pamplona. Osasuna are sitting comfortably in mid-table, and are one of Spain’s form teams. Alessio Lisci’s side are unbeaten in five games and without a home defeat since November.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the La Liga clash.
What Time Does Osasuna vs. Real Madrid Kick Off?
- Location: Pamplona, Spain
- Stadium: Estadio El Sadar
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
- Kick-off Time: 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT / 5:30 p.m. GMT
Osasuna vs. Real Madrid Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Osasuna: 0 wins
- Real Madrid: 4 wins
- Draws: 1
Current Form (All Competitions)
| Osasuna (DWDWW) | Real Madrid (WWWWL) |
|---|---|
| Elche 0–0 Osasuna | Benfica 0–1 Real Madrid |
| Celta Vigo 1–2 Osasuna | Real Madrid 4–1 Real Sociedad |
| Osasuna 2–2 Villarreal | Valencia 0–2 Real Madrid |
| Rayo Vallecano 1–3 Osasuna | Real Madrid 2–1 Rayo Vallecano |
| Osasuna 3–2 Real Oviedo | Benfica 4–2 Real Madrid |
How to Watch Osasuna vs. Real Madrid on TV, Live Stream
| Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
| United States | ESPN Deportes, ESPN Select, fuboTV, ESPN App |
| United Kingdom | Premier Sports Player, Premier Sports 2 |
| Canada | TSN+ |
| Mexico | Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+, izzi |
Osasuna Team News
The hosts head into Saturday’s game without the services of Iker Benito, who’s out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Flavien Boyomo is also likely to miss out with an ankle problem.
Osasuna otherwise have a full squad available for Madrid’s visit, and they’ll continue to rely upon the goalscoring abilities of veteran striker Ante Budimir in the hope of securing their first win in this fixture since 2011. Budimir has scored 11 times in La Liga this season.
Osasuna Predicted Lineup vs. Real Madrid
Osasuna predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Herrera; Rosier, Catena, Herrando, Galan; I. Muñoz, Torró; García, Oroz, V. Muñoz; Budimir.
Real Madrid Team News
Jude Bellingham’s hamstring injury is set to keep him sidelined for longer than initially expected, but Rodrygo’s own issue is considerably less severe.
While Saturday’s game will come too soon for the Brazilian winger, he should be back in action next month.
Madrid are also without center back Éder Militão and have recently lost Dean Huijsen to a minor muscle issue, but their defense has recently been bolstered by the returns of Antonio Rüdiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Both started against Benfica on Tuesday night and should do so again here.
With the return leg upcoming, Arbeloa will likely make a few changes to his starting lineup. Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Franco Mastantuono are among those who could be recalled this weekend.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Osasuna
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Osasuna (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Carvajal, Asencio, Rüdiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouaméni, Mastantuono, Güler, Vinicius Junior; Mbappé.
Osasuna vs. Real Madrid Score Prediction
Tuesday night should only galvanise this group of Real Madrid players, and Osasuna will be the first team to feel their wrath on Saturday night.
Los Blancos have been dominant in this fixture over the years and have shown signs of finding a rhythm under Arbeloa after a sticky start.
The new manager has his superstars purring, and Vini Jr’s deadly combination with Kylian Mbappé will surely be far too much for the mid-table hosts to handle.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
- Real Madrid Rocked by Fresh Injury Blow Before Osasuna Trip
- Real Madrid vs Osasuna: Predicted Lineup for La Liga Clash with Chance of Rotation
- Transcript: Álvaro Arbeloa Backs Vinicius Jr. Ahead of Real Madrid vs Osasuna
- Transfer Rumors: Man Utd Make Alexander-Arnold Bid; Mbappe Demands Vinicius Jr Sale
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Osasuna vs. Real Madrid: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
