Osasuna – Real Madrid

Real Madrid will not be able to beat Osasuna by a wide margin

On Saturday 18 February, Real Madrid will play away against Osasuna. For Carlo Ancelotti's team, every round could be decisive in terms of the title race. The outlook is very bleak when you look at the rivalry with Barcelona. The gap to the Catalans is eight points. At the same time, Barcelona have only lost eight points over the whole tournament distance. In other words, there is already very little chance of winning the title. In the meantime, Real Madrid continue to cling to their rivals. The team has boosted its morale in the run-up to the Champions League. Real won the Club World Cup. This was followed by the defeat of Elche in the championship. Madrid are in good spirits, but such victories are not at all indicative of quality form. Real still cannot rely on several key players. The losses of Kroos and Courtois stand out. Not to say that goalkeeper Lunin is yet a confident replacement for the main goalkeeper. In the match against Osasuna, the leaders will definitely not be on the pitch. Real Madrid are now shifting their focus to the Champions League. The team will face Liverpool next week. It is very likely that Ancelotti will decide on a serious rotation. Some of the veterans may get a rest. The workload is too much. Osasuna justify their status as a solid mid-table side. The club from Pamplona have their own rather boring style of play. At the same time, this tactic brings points on a regular basis. A modest team almost secured a place in next year's La Liga. The club is in ninth place - an undoubted success, given the overall level of individual skill. Jagoba Arrasate's side have yet to play a single match in 2023 for a total of more than 2.5. The last time Osasuna played a head-to-head encounter was back in November. Back then, Barcelona managed to break the total. In the upcoming match the club has several losses. The main scorer Avila will not play. In question are defender Vidal and midfielder Peña. Midfielder Aymar Oros is definitely not out. Almost all factors point in the direction of a cautious game. Osasuna will skillfully close down in their own half of the pitch. Real will calmly be satisfied with a minimum victory, taking into account the difficult schedule of matches and personnel losses. For the total less in the next meeting and the history of personal meetings. In the last five face-to-face games, the teams have only once scored more than two goals. In the first round, Osasuna were able to hold out and pick up points even in Madrid, when Real Madrid were almost in perfect form. On the road, Madrid will have even more trouble breaking through a tight and organised defence.