Osasuna will take on Real Madrid on Saturday, 15 February in a match that will have repercussions on the incredibly tight title race in La Liga.
Real Madrid come into the match one point clear of Atletico Madrid and two points clear of Barcelona but with Los Blancos potentially having one eye on their Champions League playoff second leg with Man City on Wednesday night, this is a banana skin of a fixture.
The match is also a big one for Osasuna as they push towards a top-six finish in La Liga. They are currently four points behind Rayo Vallecano in sixth and will see this match as a golden opportunity.
How the bookies view it: Real Madrid go in as big favourites
Despite the possibility of Real Madrid resting several players on Saturday, the visitors still start this match as the favourites with the most bookmakers. BoyleSports have priced a Real Madrid win at 4/7 while a victory for Osasuna has been priced at 15/4. The draw, which wouldn't be a terrible result for either side, has been priced at 14/5.
Recent head-to-head: Real Madrid dominance
Real Madrid have a superior head-to-head record against most teams in world football but their recent record against Osasuna is particularly impressive. Los Blancos are unbeaten in their last 22 matches with Osasuna (17 wins and five draws) with their last defeat in this fixture coming all the way back in January 2011.
Players to watch: Can Budimir down Madrid?
Osasuna have bene an established midtable club in La Liga for the past six seasons but they are threatening to make the jump to European football this time around and a big reason for that is the form of Ante Budimir.
The experienced Croatian has been at the club for five years but his best form has come over the past two seasons. Last year, he netted 17 league goals for the club and he is on course to beat that this time around with 12 to his name already.
Only Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe and Raphinha have scored more league goals in Spain than the 33-year-old this season and he could potentially leapfrog Raphinha into third place if he can score a brace at the weekend.
Predicted line-ups
It's very difficult to predict the Real Madrid lineup this weekend given that Ancelotti will want everyone 100% fit for the Manchester City game on Wednesday. Taking rotation out of the equation, Real Madrid are missing five players for this match due to injury and all of them are defenders. Osasauna, meanwhile, will be without Flavien Boyomo due to suspension.
Osasuna: Herrera – Areso, Bretones, Catena, Cruz – Moncayola, Torro, Oroz – Zaragoza, Budimir, Garcia
Real Madrid: Courtois – Valverde, Asencio, Ramon, Mendy – Modric, Camavinga, Guler – Diaz, Rodrygo, Endrick
Anything else catch the eye?
Osasuna have been the draw experts in La Liga in recent weeks with three of their last four league matches finishing in a 1-1 draw. Interestingly, this is the same scoreline that Real Madrid produced in their last league outing and given key players could sit this one out, a similar result here shouldn't be ruled out. Osasuna 1-1 Real Madrid is priced at 13/2 with BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Osasuna and Real Madrid will be played on Feb 15, 2025 and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Osasuna vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
