Celta Vigo vs Osasuna prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-08-12 15:00.
It promises to be a special weekend for Celta Vigo, who this month will be celebrating 100 years of existence whilst beginning a new La Liga (LL) campaign under legendary Spanish manager Rafael BenĂtez. The chance to be a part of such historic commemorations, which even included an audience with Pope Francis in July, was something BenĂtez alluded to after he claimed to have received more than 20 offers from Spain and abroad.
The club will be hoping that BenĂtez, who has won trophies at six clubs across three countries, can perhaps spark a magical Copa del Rey run and a return to being a regular top-half finisher after two seasons of regression under Eduardo Coudet and Carlos Carvalhal. Whether they can avenge last seasonâs home LL loss to upcoming opening-weekend opponents Osasuna, which was their first home H2H defeat in 16 years, remains to be seen.
After their biggest top-flight points haul in 11 years, Osasuna opted for continuity by sticking with Jagoba Arrasate, who goes into this season enjoying the second-longest single stint of any active LL manager. Arrasate also received a LL coach of the year award from the Johan Cruyff Foundation for a campaign that saw Osasuna qualify for European competition for the first time in their history in addition to reaching the final of the Copa del Rey, where they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid.
A key focus for Arrasate heading into this campaign, following pre-season friendly defeats to Toulouse and AlavĂ©s, is âneeding to improve in defenceâ. Already used to starting a new season as a winner after doing so in three of the past four seasons (D1), Arrasate, along with new left-back Johan Mojica, asserted that a clean sheet on Sunday is a priority.
Players to watch: Carles PĂ©rez was bought permanently by Celta Vigo following a successful loan stint that included first-half goals in two of their last six LL home games. The ageless Ante Budimir has scored in three of his last four LL appearances for Osasuna, as well as in his most recent pre-season friendly.
Hot stat: The last 19 H2Hs saw both teams score on just five occasions, whilst 15 produced fewer than 2.5 total goals.