Barcelona take on the visitors Osasuna in the postponed round 20 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Wednesday, January 31st at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (Barcelona).
It seems that Barcelona will be able to defend their championship title this season. The gap from their competitors in the table is only growing. At the moment, Real Madrid have pulled away from Xavi's team by ten points, and Girona by 11. The team's dreadful defense, which was almost its main strength last season, is to blame for everything. In the previous round, Barça lost at home to crisis-hit Villarreal (3-5), in December they lost the Catalan derby to Girona (2-4), and drew with Valencia (1-1). Even during their recent victories in the championship, Xavi's team didn't keep a clean sheet: 2-1 against Las Palmas, 3-2 against Almeria, and 4-2 against Betis. As you can see, the reigning La Liga champions are consistently conceding in every match. I think they will concede at least once in the upcoming match.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Osasuna are a solid mid-table team in the Spanish La Liga. It's not aiming for high positions, sitting comfortably in tenth place in the table, equidistant from the relegation zone and the European spots. I don't know if Jagoba Arrasate's men can take points from the prestigious opponent, but they are certainly capable of scoring against the hosts at least once. Osasuna may not have star players, but they haven't left the field without scoring in 12 consecutive La Liga matches. While average teams are usually quite productive at home, the Reds also know how to attack away from home. Let's look at the results of their recent away matches in the league: draws with Sevilla (1-1) and Cadiz (1-1), defeats to Mallorca (2-3), Villarreal (1-3), and Betis (1-2), and a win against Alaves (2-0).
Osasuna have scored against Barcelona in their home matches for three consecutive meetings, including this season (lost 1-2). However, they have struggled to score against the formidable opponent on their turf for many years. Any streak, as we know, eventually comes to an end. I think it's destined to end now. Osasuna have scored at least one goal in 12 consecutive league matches, while Barcelona have kept a clean sheet only twice in their last ten La Liga matches. And the last time was on December third. In this matchup, the blaugranas are favorites. My prediction does not negate this fact. However, considering all of Barcelona's defensive problems, I don't believe in their clean sheet victory at all. The bet is Away team to score: YES.
Prediction for the match: Osasuna to score – yes.
