Is Osasuna finally convincing in the cup?
32 teams are still in the Spanish King’s Cup. In the third round of the competition, however, there are still numerous David vs. Goliath constellations. Also in the Catalonian city of Tarragona on Thursday two teams face each other who are separated by two divisions.
Gimnastic welcomes Osasuna. A tip on the guest from Pamplona is obvious, as the current ninth of La Liga plays a very satisfactory season so far and should definitely have qualitative advantages on his side. In the cup, however, things have not really gone well for the Rojillos in recent years. More than ten years ago, the last time the Red and Blues made it past the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey
Without a focused and stringent analysis, we would therefore initially refrain from making a prediction on the away win after regular time between Gimnastic and Osasuna. The home side are definitely capable of something, especially as they already took a familiar name out of the tournament in round two with Malaga and will be looking to go one better in front of their own fans.
Gimnastic – Statistics & current form
2006/07 Gimnástic de Tarragona spent one season in the Spanish top flight. After the surprising promotion, however, the Catalans had to start the immediate decline into the second division with 24 defeats in 38 games as the last team in the table. In recent years, Nástic has oscillated between the second and third divisions. Currently, the Tarragona team is only in the third division.
However, the starting position in the fight for a top place and a potential return to the Segunda Division is promising. Sixth in the standings, they are level on points with the last play-off spot and are also just five points behind leaders CD Eldense, who face Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish King’s Cup on Thursday evening.
Osasuna B were out of their depth a month ago
The biggest strength of coach Rául Agné’s team is certainly their usually good performances in front of a home crowd. Five victories were recorded in eight home games. One draw and two defeats round off the balance. In addition, Nástic conceded fewer goals at home than away from home. In the last four home games, by the way, a bet on the under 3.5 would have always paid off. In three of the last four league matches, a maximum of two goals were scored.
The only exception was the 3-0 defeat against Osasuna B. Yes, that’s right! At the beginning of December, the Red and Whites lost 3-0 to the club’s reserve team, which now travels to Catalonia with the first-team squad. Although cross-comparisons are not really allowed due to the difference in the odds, this overall situation provides enough arguments to add the odds on an away win after regular time between Gimnástic and Osasuna back into the portfolio.
Predicted line-up of Gimnastic:
Parra – Oriol, Quintanilla, Montes, Domingo – Gorostidi, Bonilla – Alvarez, Montalvo, Rey – Fernandez
Last matches played by Gimnastic:
Copa del Rey
23/12/2022 – Gimnastic 2 – 1 Malaga
Primera Federacion – Group 2
18/12/2022 – Alcoyano 1 – 1 Gimnastic
12/12/2022 – Gimnastic 1 – 0 Barca Atletic
09/12/2022 – Osasuna B 3 – 0 Gimnastic
04/12/2022 – Gimnastic 0 – 1 Sabadell
Osasuna – Statistics & current form
Osasuna is a glorious example of what continuity in the coaching position can do. Jagoba Arrasate has been wielding the sceptre at the Pamplona club since the summer of 2018. And with great success. In his first season, the club returned to La Liga. The 44-year-old then established his club in the country’s top division. After three solid midfield finishes, the Rojillos now want to take the next step and attack the top half of the table.
Even the word European Cup has already been mentioned internally. Due to the immense competition and the necessary consistency of having to leave five to six other teams behind in 38 league games, the cup competition possibly offers the more promising chance of making the leap into international business. At least in theory, because in practice the Copa del Rey has been a red rag for Osasuna in recent years.
Osasuna without fortune in the Copa del Rey
2010 was the last time the club, which was never converted into a public limited company, reached the last eight in the Spanish King’s Cup. Last season, on the other hand, they were eliminated in the third round. In general, the club has only reached the last eight in three of the last eight seasons.
This year, that should change at all costs! At least the task against the third division club seems absolutely solvable on paper, although between Gimnástic and Osasuna the odds on the three-way market reveal at least a little surprise potential.
That, in turn, is the reason why we bring an alternative bet into the conversation, focusing on an under bet. The fact is, after all, that ten of the 15 La Liga games played by Arrasate’s eleven have seen no more than two goals. No other team in the top half of the table scores fewer goals than the ninth-placed team. Against this background, we would not be particularly surprised if the supposed favourites find it difficult to unhinge a massive defence. The logical consequence would be a low-scoring game.
Predicted line-up of Osasuna:
Herrera – Sanchez, Garcia, Hernandez, Vidal – Ibanez, Brasanac – Garcia, Torres, Barja – Garcia
Last matches played by Osasuna:
La Liga
31/12/2022 – Real Sociedad 2 – 0 Osasuna Pamplona
Copa del Rey
22/12/2022 – Arnedo 1 – 3 Osasuna Pamplona
Friendly club matches
14/12/2022 – Girona 1 – 1 Osasuna Pamplona
13/12/2022 – Osasuna Pamplona 3 – 0 Brest
10/12/2022 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 1 Lorient
Gimnastic – Osasuna Direct comparison / H2H balance
Between 2015 and 2019, these teams still dueled in the second Spanish league. In a total of three seasons, the clubs faced each other six times. Nástic even won three of the six encounters (two defeats, one draw).
In all six encounters, the bet on the under 2.5 would have gone through. Even if there are now two divisions between these teams, we dare to predict that Gimnástic and Osasuna will once again score few goals in regulation time.
Gimnastic – Osasuna tip
An interesting third round match to look forward to on Thursday afternoon in the Copa del Rey. Former first division side Gimnástic de Tarragona face current first division side Osasuna at home. While the visitors are in a very respectable ninth place in the Spanish top flight, the home side from Catalonia are hoping for an early return to the second division.
For the upcoming cup match, however, the team from Pamplona is still favoured. The betting odds between Gimnástic and Osasuna are clearly in favour of the better-quality Arrasate team. Still, betting on the away win after regulation time is not our primary choice, at least.
Betting on under 2.5 goals between Gimnástic and Osasuna is more exciting. On the one hand, the underdogs are not necessarily known for finding many good offensive solutions, even in the third division. On the other hand, the favourites also see their own strengths more in the switching game and a compact defence. It could therefore develop into a game of patience with a maximum of two goals after 90 minutes.
