Osasuna take on the visitors Real Madrid in the round 25 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, February 21st at Estadio El Sadar (Pamplona).
Osasuna are traditionally rated below Athletic and Real Sociedad within the Basque football landscape. Still, during Arrasate’s time in charge, the club moved away from the image of a side constantly sliding toward Segunda and instead became a solid mid-table team, even debuting in the Conference League. They nearly repeated that achievement last season as well, missing out on eighth place only on tie-breakers to Rayo Vallecano. In the summer, Moreno was replaced by Lisci, and his early work drew plenty of criticism. However, during the winter the team finally began to win regularly, showing much more confidence and structure. The recent 0–0 draw with Elche slowed that run slightly, but overall form has clearly improved. They also looked competitive in the cup, where elimination came only via penalties against Real Sociedad, underlining their growing stability.
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Real Madrid achieved a lot during Ancelotti’s second spell, including multiple major trophies. Even so, he was released to take charge of Brazil once it became clear that the spring would end without silverware. Xabi Alonso lasted only half a year, leaving after a Super Cup defeat to Barcelona and falling four points behind them in La Liga. Arbeloa then took over as a short-term solution and began with an early Copa del Rey exit to Albacete. In the Champions League, results were mixed, including a home defeat to Benfica before managing to respond with an away win in the return match. Domestically, however, performances improved, allowing the club to close the gap to Barcelona. After a convincing win over Real Sociedad and dropped points from rivals, Real Madrid even returned to the top of the table.
Since their win in 2011, over the past fifteen years the Reds have managed only five draws, losing all the other encounters. The visitors simply cannot afford a slip-up under the current circumstances. The pick here is a win for the Galácticos.
Prediction for the match: Real Madrid to win.
