Is the Monday curse of the Rojillos coming to an end?
Due to TV money and English weeks, football is now played almost every day of the week in La Liga. Monday is the only day on which Osasuna have never won a game in their 40 years in the Spanish top flight (six draws, three defeats). However, this circumstance does not have too much influence on our tip for Osasuna against Celta Vigo, which is rather influenced by the momentum of the Rojillos.
Not only does the team from Pamplona finally occupy eighth place in the table, but Osasuna also have one foot in the Copa del Rey final after their 1-0 first leg victory over Bilbao.
The visitors from Galicia, who are 13th in the table, are only three points clear of the first relegation place. Accordingly, our prediction for Osasuna against Celta Vigo goes in the direction of the home team.
The Rojillos’ home strength is particularly in their favour, having won six of their eleven home games at home to El Sadar in the 2022/23 season (five defeats). Only Barcelona (nine), Real Madrid, Villarreal and Almería (seven each) have more home wins. In addition, Osasuna are also unbeaten in four home games against Celta Vigo (two wins, two draws).
Osasuna – Statistics & current form
Club Atlético Osasuna were promoted to the country’s top flight for the first time in the summer of 1934 and have played a total of 40 seasons in La Liga. The men from Pamplona have never won the title. In the 2004/05 season, however, they reached the final of the Copa del Rey, which was only lost in extra time to Betis Sevilla.
Since then, the Rojillos, who also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2007, have been waiting for another opportunity to win their very first title. The jubilation was correspondingly great when the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final was won 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday evening.
The fifth most home wins in La Liga
Meanwhile, things are also going rock solid in La Liga for the team from the autonomous region of Navarre. The northern Spanish side have already won nine of their 23 league games and are in eighth place. They are only four points behind the first international starting place.
The Rojillos have done particularly well at home, winning six of their eleven La Liga games at home. The other five home games were all lost, with no draws. The six wins are nevertheless only surpassed by four other teams, which is why our prediction for Osasuna against Celta Vigo tends towards tip 1.
The fourth fewest goals conceded in La Liga
Adding to this is the extremely stable defence that coach Jagoba Arrasate’s team possesses. In 23 league games, they have conceded just 23 goals. That equates to an average of just one goal conceded per league game, with only Barcelona (eight), Real Madrid (18) and Atlético Madrid (19) having conceded fewer than the Pamplona side.
Moreover, the Rojillos do not lack momentum. Even before the aforementioned home win in the Copa del Rey semifinals, there was a convincing 3:2 away win at Sevilla FC in La Liga. The eighth-placed team in the table can go into this Monday game with a correspondingly broad chest.
Last games of Osasuna:
Copa del Rey
02/03/2023 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
27/02/2023 – Sevilla FC 2 – 3 Osasuna Pamplona
19/02/2023 – Osasuna Pamplona 0 – 2 Real Madrid
13/02/2023 – Real Valladolid 0 – 0 Osasuna Pamplona
04/02/2023 – Espanyol 1 – 1 Osasuna Pamplona
Celta Vigo – Statistics & current form
The Real Club Celta de Vigo were last relegated from La Liga in the summer of 2007, but then returned to the top flight in their fifth year in Spain’s second-tier division. The Galicians have now been back in La Liga for eleven years, although they have finished the season in 17th place three times in that period.
After a commanding eleventh-place finish in the 2021/22 season, the Celestes are also currently above the line in 13th in the table, but have only regained that standing in recent weeks and must remain consistent under coach Carlos Carvalhal.
Won two of last four away games
Only because of the convincing ten out of a possible 15 points from the last five league games, the Célticos currently have a small cushion of three points on the first relegation place.
Things have been going much better away from home recently. The Celestes have won two of the last four away games in La Liga (one draw, one defeat). That is exactly the same number of away wins as in the previous 17 away games in La Liga in total (four draws, eleven defeats).
The sixth weakest defence in La Liga
At the moment, regular Galician keeper Agustín Marchesín is out for the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Already in the last four league games, the five goals conceded by deputy Iván Villar were, however, very well offset by the eight goals scored. Thus, balanced odds are also available for Osasuna against Celta Vigo.
Nevertheless, the Celestes’ defence has room for improvement. With a total of 35 goals conceded in 23 league games, the Célticos have the sixth weakest defence in La Liga. The fact that they have failed to score an away goal in three of their last four away games at the Estadio El Sadar does not make the task in Pamplona any easier…
Last matches played by Celta Vigo:
La Liga
26/02/2023 – Celta Vigo 3 – 0 Real Valladolid
18/02/2023 – Real Sociedad 1 – 1 Celta Vigo
12/02/2023 – Celta Vigo 0 – 1 Atletico Madrid
05/02/2023 – Real Betis 3 – 4 Celta Vigo
30/01/2023 – Celta Vigo 1 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Osasuna – Celta Vigo Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 24 – 9 – 30
There have been a total of 63 meetings between the two teams and with 30 wins, Celta Vigo lead the direct comparison. However, three of the last six league games have gone to Osasuna (one draw, two defeats). In Pamplona, the Rojillos are unbeaten in four meetings with the Celestes (two wins, two draws).
Osasuna – Celta Vigo Tip
Balanced betting odds are available on Osasuna against Celta Vigo. On the one hand, this takes into account the fact that the visitors from Galicia have recently picked up ten points from a possible 15 and have also won two of their last four away games in league play, while on the other hand, the Rojillos are quite strong at home and can go into this Monday night game with a broad chest after winning two competitive games in a row recently.
With a view to the defensive qualities of the Rojillos, not too many goals can be expected. However, because none of the eleven league home games of the northern Spaniards have ended in a draw (six wins, five defeats), we still see the greatest value in Osasuna against Celta Vigo in tip 1.
