Osasuna hosts Barcelona in round 3 of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, August 31st at Estadio El Sadar (Pamplona)
Having held an amazing season in the lower division, Osasuna went for promotion and started quite successfully, gaining 4 points in the first two rounds. The minimum victory over Leganes, where the newcomer to the championship played briskly but did not create serious attempts, gaining 3 points thanks to a goal that was scored from outside the penalty area. In the next game, Osasuna approved itself in defense, holding back the onslaught of fast-legged Eibar, but it still managed to concede a goal (in particular, players are careless during the set pieces). However, to be honest, the previous rivals were far weaker than Barcelona. Now Osasuna is waiting for the test. The team shows a good game only in Segunda, but in Primera, it can only compete with the middle-class teams. Gaps between the lines, a lot of free space for the opponent, the players make mistakes out of the blue: all of these can easily be used by Barcelona. It is unlikely that the walls of the home stadium will help Osasuna seriously.
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After an unexpected defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the starting round (1-0), Barcelona decimated Betis (5-2). Invariably, the Catalans dominated in both meetings, pinching the opponent in their box. If the failure with Athletic Bilbao is more like bad luck (the Lions played well in the defense, and the Blaugranes conceded at the very end of the meeting), the hammering victory over Betis is quite natural. Something similar will happen with Osasuna. Barcelona seizes the initiative quickly, disposing of the ball in the vast majority of the games, and when the team loses it, it meets the opponent highly. Newcomers to the Catalan club are already in the starting lineup and only strengthen the game. Antoine Griezmann has already managed to score a double, and he does a lot of work without the ball during pressure. In general, the Blaugranes continue to rehabilitate after a misfire in the first round and, they will surely manage to win with a big score again, especially the opponent is much weaker.
When choosing a bet, I settled on the victory of Barcelona with a -1.5 handicap. Perhaps someone hopes the visitors will make a mistake again. However, it was in the game with Athletic, which competently acts in positional defense, and here we will see Osasuna, which is less reliable and gains points mainly due to rivals' mistakes. The hosts are a rather convenient opponent for the Catalans since (I will repeat) they provide a lot of freedom and let the opponents close to their penalty area due to problems in the pivot zone. So, Barcelona, having a well-built game and high-class players, will be able to play with the handicap I proposed.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win with -1.5 handicap
