Barcelona will be aiming to retain their Copa Del Rey title as they face Osasuna in a semi-final clash on Thursday. The Catalans have not been at their best lately but should still have too much quality for Osasuna, who have endured a difficult campaign so far.
Barcelona have been far from their best this season and are currently seventh points off the pace in the La Liga title race. However, they have shown signs of picking up their form in recent weeks, claiming three wins in their last four matches.
It has been a solid start to the year for Barcelona, who have won their two matches so far in 2024. They began with a 2-1 La Liga victory over Las Palmas before claiming a 3-2 win at Barbastro in a Copa Del Rey fixture last weekend.
Another reason to feel confident is that Barcelona are defending champions of the Spanish Super Cup having beaten Real Madrid in last year’s final. Xavi’s men will be keen to retain their title as that could be their only piece of silverware this season, given the way their campaign has panned out so far.
Osasuna earned a place in the Super Cup after a solid 2022-23 campaign that saw them reach the Copa Del Rey final and secure European football. They lost to Real Madrid in that fixture but will be keen to make another appearance in a final.
It has not been the best campaign so far for Osasuna, who have struggled to replicate last season’s showings. Jagoba Arrasate's men have only begun to rediscover their form in recent weeks following a run of six matches without a win towards the back end of last year.
The good news for Osasuna is that they have made a positive start to 2024, winning their two matches so far. They claimed a 1-0 victory over Almeria in a La Liga fixture before seeing out a similar result over lower league side Castellon in the Copa Del Rey last weekend.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 2/5 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Osasuna is valued at 15/2 with Unibet while BetVictor is offering odds of 19/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Barcelona have a 27-6 advantage with 10 draws from 43 previous matches against Osasuna. The Catalans have also won the last four meetings and have already beaten Osasuna this season, claiming a 2-1 victory in a La Liga fixture back in September.
Players to watch
Robert Lewandowski was back among the goals for Barcelona last weekend and will be keen to go on a scoring run. The striker has scored in two of the last three meetings with Osasuna, including the winner in September and could be worth keeping an eye on at 5/6 with bet365.
Osasuna also have attacking quality of their own and will look to Ante Budimir to provide the spark on Thursday. The forward has nine La Liga goals this season and is priced at 13/5 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been goals for both teams in two of the last three meetings and a similar outcome is priced at 4/5 with Unibet. Both fixtures produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 8/15 with BetVictor, who is also offering odds of 11/8 for over 3.5 goals.
Barcelona scored in both halves in the September win and could be set for a repeat at evens with bet365. The Catalans are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and both teams to score could be considered for more value at 15/8 with bet365.
This Spanish Cup match between Barcelona and Osasuna will be played on Jan 11, 2024 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Osasuna prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
