Osasuna will be bidding to continue their recent impressive run of form when they welcome Alaves to Estadio El Sadar in La Liga on Monday night.
The hosts are currently 11th in the table, one point behind 10th-placed Getafe, while Alaves sit 12th, four points behind their opponents in this contest.
Match preview
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Osasuna finished seventh in La Liga last season, in addition to reaching the Copa del Rey final, but there has been a drop-off this term, with the team struggling to match their performance level from 2022-23.
Los Rojillos have managed to play themselves into some form, though, picking up seven points from their last three matches, beating Real Sociedad and Cadiz before drawing 1-1 with Las Palmas last time out.
Jagoba Arrasate's side are currently 11th in the table, boasting a record of nine wins, six draws and 11 defeats, which has brought them 33 points.
Osasuna are only three points behind eighth-placed Las Palmas, so they are still capable of enjoying a successful campaign, but their home form will need to improve, having only picked up 18 points from their 13 matches in front of their own supporters, which is just the 12th-best record in the division.
The Pamplona outfit have dominated their recent contests with Alaves, winning each of the last four meetings in La Liga, including a 2-0 victory when the two teams locked horns for the reverse game earlier this season.
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Alaves, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Mallorca, which made it three straight draws in Spain's top flight for the Basque outfit.
El Glorioso have only lost one of their last eight league matches, which was a 3-1 home reverse to Barcelona, and they recorded three straight wins over Sevilla, Cadiz and Almeria between January 12 and January 26.
Luis Garcia's side were promoted back to La Liga via last season's Segunda Division playoffs, so they have performed above expectations this term, currently sitting 12th in the table.
Alaves are 10 points clear of the relegation zone and just four points from 11th-placed Osasuna, so they should be looking up the table rather than down, especially considering their recent form.
The Blue and Whites have won two, drawn five and lost six of their 13 league matches on their travels during the 2023-24 campaign, picking up just 11 points in the process, while they have not managed to overcome Osasuna in Spain's top flight since November 2016.
Team News
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Osasuna are expected to be missing five players on Monday through injury, with Ante Budimir, Jesus Areso, Juan Cruz, Ruben Pena and Jose Manuel Arnaiz on the sidelines.
Budimir's absence could open the door for Ruben Garcia to start alongside Raul Garcia in the final third of the field, although Kike Barja is another option to come into the attack.
David Garcia will return to the squad, having been suspended against Las Palmas, while 18-year-old Inigo Arguibide could make his first start for the club down the right due to the absence of Areso.
As for Alaves, Aleksandar Sedlar is a long-term absentee due to an ACL injury, while Luis Rioja, Alex Sola and Andoni Gorosabel are also set to be unavailable for this match.
Gorosabel, Sola and Rioja were all substituted in the clash with Mallorca last time out, so there could be three changes to the side here, with Nahuel Tenaglia set to be introduced at right-back.
Meanwhile, Carlos Vicente and Kike Garcia are expected to come into the attack, with Samu Omorodion again leading the line for the Basque outfit on Monday night.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; U Garcia, Catena, D Garcia; Arguibide, Oroz, Moncayola, M Gomez, Mojica; Ruben Garcia, Raul Garcia
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Tenaglia, Abqar, Marin, J Lopez; Blanco, Guevara; Vicente, Guridi, K Garcia; Omorodion
We say: Osasuna 1-1 Alaves
Both teams are set to be missing some important players on Monday through injury, but we are still expecting it to be a tight match between two sides in good form. Osasuna have home advantage, but Alaves are not losing many at the moment, and we are predicting a low-scoring draw in this contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
