Barcelona could grab a five-point lead in La Liga with a victory over Osasuna after Real Madrid’s defeat yesterday.
When Barcelona plays Osasuna away from home in their penultimate match before the World Cup break, they will have the opportunity to move five points clear atop the La Liga standings.
On Monday night when they went to the Vallecas, Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the year, losing 3-2 to an energetic Rayo Vallecano team. After 13 games, they currently have 32 points.
Even though Carlo Ancelotti’s team plays Cádiz on Thursday night, the Catalans, who have 34 points from as many games, will be eager to put pressure on Los Blancos by increasing their margin of victory to five points.
Though Osasuna have been the surprise package in La Liga this season, collecting 23 points from 13 games and sitting only one point off the top four, it won’t be an easy task for Xavi’s team.
Even if they don’t have a flawless home record, they should be able to pose challenges for the visiting Barcelona team. At the El Sadar, Osasuna has won and collected 15 out of a possible 21 points.
Osasuna vs Barcelona Lineups
Osasuna XI (4-4-2): Aitor Fernández; Cruz, U. García, D. García, Vidal; Oroz, Torró, Moncayola, Gomez; R. Garcia, Ávila
Barcelona XI (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Balde, Christensen, Alonso, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Dembélé, Lewandowski, Torres
Barcelona’s next fixtures
This is Barcelona’s final match before the World Cup. They will play their first game following the World Cup on December 30 in the Catalan derby against Espanyol.
