Can the Rojillos also upset Real Madrid?
CA Osasuna have been one of the big surprises of the 2021/22 La Liga season so far. The Pamplona club won five of their first ten league games and are in sixth place with 18 points out of a possible 30. Real Madrid are only two points above them in second place. The Blancos, however, have only won two of their last five competitive matches.
The home game will not be a foregone conclusion for the capital, although the bookmakers are clearly leaning in favour of Ancelotti’s side in the run-up to the encounter between Real Madrid and Osasuna.
Not to be ignored, however, is the fact that the visitors from Pamplona are one of the strongest away teams in La Liga. The Gorritxoak have four wins from four away games and are second in the away table. Accordingly, it is difficult to give a tip on the outcome of the match between Real Madrid and Osasuna.
We see much more value in betting on a low-scoring game, especially as two very stable defences are facing each other.
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
With 13 overall victories in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid are not only the record winners in the most important European competition for club teams. The Blancos are also the Spanish record champions with 34 national championships.
Given their glittering past, it is all the more difficult to endure a season in which not a single title is won. Zinédine Zidane accordingly had to end his second term as coach of the Galactics this summer. Six years after his departure, Carlo Ancelotti returned in his place.
Nationally and internationally currently “only” second
Under the Italian, things have been mixed so far. Real Madrid are on course in all competitions. However, the Merengues are not at the top of La Liga at the moment, where Real Sociedad lead the table by one point, nor in the Champions League, where the Blancos are also only second due to the lost direct comparison behind surprise team Sheriff Tiraspol.
At least in the last week, the capital city team managed to pull off two coups. Firstly, the white ballet celebrated a 5-0 away win in Donetsk in the top flight, before winning the Clásico at arch-rivals Barcelona 2-1 on Sunday.
Haven’t lost to Osasuna in 14 competitive games
This ended a brief drought of three consecutive games without a win (one draw, two defeats) for Ancelotti’s side and they go into the English week with two wins under their belts against Osasuna and Elche.
It is clear that six points are practically mandatory in these matches. But it is also clear that it will not be easy against the strong away side from Pamplona. In view of the fact that the Blancos have not lost any of their last 14 games against the Gorritxoak, betting on a home win for Real Madrid against Osasuna is still a fundamentally good bet.
Predicted Real Madrid line-up:
Courtois – Mendy – Alaba – Militao – Vázquez – Kroos – Casemiro – Modric – Júnior – Rodrygo – Benzema
Last matches played by Real Madrid:
LaLiga
10/24 2021 – Barcelona 1 – 2 Real Madrid
Champions League Grp. D
10/19 2021 – Shakhtar Donetsk 0 – 5 Real Madrid
LaLiga
10/03 2021 – Espanyol 2 – 1 Real Madrid
Champions League Grp. D
09/28 2021 – Real Madrid 1 – 2 FC Sheriff
LaLiga
09/25 2021 – Real Madrid 0 – 0 FC Villarreal
Osasuna – Statistics & current form
Club Atlético Osasuna once reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2007, but spent a total of four of the last seven seasons only in La Liga 2. After their last promotion in the summer of 2019, however, the Rojillos established themselves sustainably back in the Spanish top flight of football.
Tenth place in the summer of 2020 was followed by another completely carefree season last season, when they finished eleventh in the final table. Accordingly, it comes as little surprise that promotion coach Jagoba Arrasate is firmly in the saddle for the fourth year in a row.
Ten points from twelve in last four games
Under the 43-year-old, the Gorritxoak are currently even putting out feelers in the direction of European competitions once again. After ten completed match days, in which they have already celebrated five victories, the first quarter of the 2021/22 season is already over, which is why the current sixth place is quite meaningful.
Certainly, the club from Pamplona must continue to work with concentration, especially since everything is not yet working, as the recent 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Granada CF last Friday proves. Nevertheless, they currently have ten out of twelve points from the last four league games. That’s three points more than Real Madrid have taken in that period.
The second best away team in La Liga
Accordingly, it is surprising that the Rojillos come to Madrid as such glaring underdogs. Bet365, the bookmaker tested by Wettbasis, offers odds of 9.00 on the Basques to win away at Real Madrid against Osasuna, but they are in fact the second-best away team in all of La Liga.
Gorritxoak have played four away games so far this season and at 10 goals to 5 they have won all four away games…
Predicted line-up of Osasuna:
Herrera – Cruz – D. García – U. García – Vidal – Torró – R. García – Brasanac – Oier – Torres – Ávila
Last matches played by Osasuna:
LaLiga
10/22 2021 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 1 Granada
10/17 2021 – Villarreal FC 1 – 2 Osasuna Pamplona
Club friendlies
10/08 2021 – Osasuna Pamplona 2 – 1 Deportivo Alaves
LaLiga
10/02 2021 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 0 Rayo Vallecano
09/26 2021 – Mallorca 2 – 3 Osasuna Pamplona
Real Madrid – Osasuna Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 50 – 17 – 13
80 meetings are on record between the two teams and in 50 victories, 62.5% of all duels have gone to the Madrilenians. Most recently, Real have gone unbeaten in 14 consecutive competitive matches against Osasuna (eleven wins, three draws).
Real Madrid – Osasuna Tip
Overall, the prediction for Real Madrid against Osasuna clearly goes to the Blancos, who not only have a much stronger squad, but also go into this home game with a lot of self-confidence thanks to the Clásico win. However, the form and away strength of the Rojillos, who have won all four league games away from home on 10:5 goals, should not be ignored.
Never the less, the visitors from Pamplona should only have a chance of getting something countable at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu with solid defensive tactics. In view of the fact that the Rojillos have been stable so far, it could well be a game of patience.
Against this background, there is a lot to be said for a low-scoring match, which is why we are betting on less than 2.5 goals.
