Barcelona vs Osasuna prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-01-30 18:00.
It’s been a tumultuous week at Barcelona, who after sensationally conceding in the 99th and 102nd minute to lose 5-3 to Villarreal, were left reeling after boss Xavi Hernández announced he’d be departing in the summer. The legendary Blaugrana player cited the “terrible wear and tear” that the job takes as the driving force behind his decision, and that’s exacerbated given his side’s form at present.
Back-to-back defeats have seen Barça crash out of the Copa del Rey and fall 11 points behind the league leaders, leaving their defence in tatters. As they haven’t lost three consecutive matches since April 2016, a response is expected here, and looks absolutely vital in their race for a top-four spot with Athletic Bilbao breathing down their necks.
And as Barcelona have lost three of their last six home league games (W3), visiting Osasuna may smell blood in the water as they travel to Catalonia. Los Rojillos tend to struggle in this fixture however, losing each of their last three La Liga visits without scoring, while they’ve already lost twice to Barcelona this season, including in the Super Cup earlier this month.
But with just one defeat from their last seven league games (W3, D3), Jagoba Arrasate’s men boast better form than their hosts. Osasuna languish in mid-table however, equidistant between the top-six and bottom-three, and any hopes of avoiding a season of mid-table mediocrity may depend on an improvement on the road, as they’re winless in six away league matches (D2, L4).
Players to watch: Robert Lewandowski netted Barcelona’s opener in the 2-0 Super Cup victory over Osasuna, and the winner in the reverse fixture, but could be testing the referee’s patience having picked up two yellow cards and a red in three league H2Hs. Ante Budimir could be first in line to respond, as he has scored Osasuna’s equaliser in four of his last five league scoring games.
Hot stat: In a league-high four matches, it’s taken Barcelona until after the 75th minute to score the match-opening goal.