Basement side Almeria will be bidding to make it back-to-back victories in Spain's top flight when they welcome Osasuna to Power Horse Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Almeria managed to secure their first league win of the season before the international break, beating Las Palmas 1-0, while Osasuna suffered a 4-2 defeat to Real Madrid last time out.
Match preview
© Reuters
At the 29th time of asking, Almeria finally managed to win a league match in 2023-24, recording a 1-0 victory over Las Palmas on March 17, with Leo Baptistao netting the only goal of the contest.
UDA remain at the bottom of the division, but they are now just one point behind 19th-placed Granada and will be hoping that the impressive success over Las Palmas can act as a springboard.
Almeria still need a miracle to avoid relegation this season, as they are 14 points behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo with just nine games left, and it would be one of the biggest stories in La Liga history if the team were able to avoid the drop from this position.
Pepe Mel was appointed head coach earlier this month following the departure of Gaizka Garitano, and the 61-year-old made the perfect start to his tenure by overcoming Las Palmas.
La Union, who finished 17th in La Liga last season, have not managed to beat Osasuna in Spain's top flight since November 2013, losing the last four meetings between the two sides at this level of football, including a 1-0 defeat in the reverse clash earlier this term.
© Reuters
Osasuna, meanwhile, suffered a 4-2 defeat to Real Madrid before the international break, which made it successive losses, having also been beaten at Girona on March 9.
Los Rojillos boast a record of 10 wins, six draws and 13 defeats from their 29 league matches this season, which has left them in 12th position in the table on 36 points.
Osasuna will certainly have their eyes on a top-half finish, and they are only two points behind ninth-placed Villarreal, so a lot of movement could take place over the next few weeks.
Jagoba Arrasate's side, who finished seventh in La Liga last season in addition to making the Copa del Rey final, have collected 15 points from their 14 away matches during the 2023-24 campaign.
Osasuna will be heading to an Almeria side that have the worst home record in La Liga this season, meanwhile, picking up only eight points from their 14 games in front of their own supporters, although eight of those fixtures have ended with a share of the spoils.
Team News
© Reuters
Almeria will be missing three players through injury on Saturday, with Bruno Langa, Luis Suarez and Ibrahima Kone unavailable for selection.
There will be a double boost for the home side this weekend, though, as both Edgar Gonzalez and Dion Lopy are available following suspensions.
Lopy is battling to come into the midfield, but head coach Mel will reward those who impressed against Las Palmas last time out, with Jonathan Viera set to continue as the number 10, while Adri Embarba and Largie Ramazani are expected to operate in the wide positions.
As for Osasuna, Unai Garcia, David Garcia and Kike Barja are out of the match through injury, while Lucas Torro will serve a suspension on Saturday afternoon.
Iker Munoz scored off the bench against Real Madrid last time out and is expected to be the player to benefit from the absence of Torro, who picked up a milestone booking in the clash with the league leaders.
Juan Cruz is likely to replace the injured Unai Garcia, while Aimar Oroz could be back in the squad after a fitness issue, although he is not expected to be considered for a start in this contest.
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Maximiano; Pubill, Montes, Radovanovic, Centelles; Robertone, Lopy; Ramazani, Viera, Embarba; Baptistao
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Cruz, Catena, Herrando; Areso, Moncayola, Ibanez, M Gomez, Mojica; Arnaiz, Budimir
We say: Almeria 1-1 Osasuna
Almeria have only lost one of their last six league matches, and having picked up a huge result against Las Palmas, we are finding it difficult to back them to suffer a defeat here. Osasuna are a strong side, though, so we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw at Power Horse Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
