Barcelona – Osasuna

Barcelona will not be able to defeat Osasuna

On Thursday, 11 January, Barcelona will play against Osasuna in the semi-final of the King's Super Cup. The Catalans are considered clear favourites for the clash, although the opponent has an uncomfortable style of play for Xavi's team. Barcelona are far from optimal form, and injuries are multiplying with each match. The game against Las Palmas in midweek was no exception. Xavi's side lost their main defender Cancelo. His participation in the Super Cup will be in doubt. There are still no Pedri and Gavi. Robert Lewandowski did not score against Las Palmas. The forward continues to have his worst season in the top leagues. An additional headache is the goalkeeper line. It's getting worse here with every match. Peña started well and seemed like a decent replacement for ter Stegen, but over the distance, the difference between the goalkeepers looks enormous. Peña didn't play too confidently against both Almeria and Las Palmas. In serious trophy matches, the goalkeeper has no experience at all. That means Barcelona's opponents will be tempted to expect mistakes from the nervous reserve. Osasuna, after a difficult start, have levelled the league. The team is now on a decent run in La Liga, with only two defeats in eight games. The team has adjusted the game in defence. The team from Pamplona has only played one match out of the last five on the total more. Osasuna is a classic midfielder in terms of statistical indicators for the whole season. But if you take the stretch from December, the team is already in the top six or seven in terms of defensive and attacking metrics. Osasuna, unlike Barcelona, has a favourable injury situation. Only Juan Mojica is missing. That is, the main core of players has been formed. Jagobe Arrasate's wards now use a variation scheme 4-3-3, where there is enough talent in attack. The main striker Budimir is in great form, having already scored nine goals. He is assisted by experienced attacking players Gomez and Avilla. If you take the face-to-face meetings between the two clubs, there is no trend for easy victories for the Catalans. The only defeat in the last six games was recorded in March 2022 on the pitch of Barcelona. Now the importance of the match is much more important, the mood at Osasuna will be appropriate. Xavi's side have had enormous problems in recent matches against opponents who operate in a defensive style. With all due respect to Las Palmas and Almeria, Osasuna now have even more opportunities to contain the stars. So a rout is not on the horizon. If Barcelona win, it will be in a difficult, low-scoring game. We can remember the King's Cup final, when Osasuna gave a decent fight to Real Madrid.