Barcelona will be bidding to take a huge step towards winning the La Liga title when they welcome Copa del Rey finalists Osasuna to Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
The Catalan outfit are top of the table, 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, while Osasuna occupy eighth position, five points behind sixth-placed Real Betis.
Match preview
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Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano last week but managed to return to winning ways on Saturday, recording a 4-0 victory over Real Betis at Camp Nou.
Not only was it a positive night in terms of the scoreline, there were also returns from injury for Andreas Christensen and Ousmane Dembele, while a first-team debut was handed to Lamine Yamal, with the 15-year-old becoming the club's youngest-ever player with his late outing off the bench.
Xavi's side have 79 points from their 32 league games this season, which has left them 11 points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid on the same number of matches, so only an extraordinary turn of events will prevent Barcelona from winning the league this season.
The Catalan outfit suffered huge disappointment in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, while they failed to make it out of their Champions League group before losing to Manchester United in the Europa League knockout playoff round.
Reclaiming the title from Real Madrid will be seen as a huge positive and landmark moment for Xavi, though, and another victory on Tuesday evening would move them a step closer.
Barcelona will be bidding to make it a third straight win over Osasuna, but Los Rojillos have a recent Camp Nou victory to their name, recording a 2-1 victory in the famous stadium in July 2020.
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Osasuna, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 2-0 home loss to Real Sociedad on Friday, which left them on 44 points from their 32 league games this season.
Jagoba Arrasate's side are eighth in the table, two points behind seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao and just five behind Real Betis in sixth, so a European finish is still a possibility this season.
Osasuna will therefore be determined to return to winning ways on Tuesday, but it would be fair to say that the majority of their focus will be on the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid on Saturday.
Los Rojillos will be bidding to win the Copa del Rey for the first time next weekend, which would see them qualify for next season's Europa League, adding further importance to the match.
Arrasate's side, who have picked up a respectable 19 points on their travels this season, have finished 10th, 11th and 10th in their last three campaigns at this level, but they were seventh in 2011-12.
Team News
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Barcelona only have one first-team absentee, with Sergi Roberto on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, and the Spaniard faces a battle to return before the end of the campaign.
As mentioned, Christensen and Dembele both made their injury returns on Saturday, with the former featuring from the start before being substituted in the 59th minute, while the latter came on in the 73rd minute.
Head coach Xavi could name the same starting side for Tuesday's contest, with Dembele again expected to start on the bench before featuring in the second period.
Marcos Alonso, Franck Kessie and Jordi Alba are among those pushing for starts, but it would not be a surprise to see the trio feature among the substitutes for the first whistle once again.
As for Osasuna, Darko Brasanac is a long-term absentee with a serious knee injury, while David Garcia is a huge doubt for the visitors due to a muscular problem.
Ante Budimir could again start on the bench with a view to coming into the XI for the Copa del Rey final, but a strong side is expected to take to the field for the clash at Camp Nou.
Kike Garcia led the line against Real Sociedad and that could again be the case in this match, while Iker Munoz and Aimar Oroz are likely to keep hold of their starting roles.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Pedri, Busquets, F de Jong; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Vidal, Aridane, Cruz, M Sanchez; Moncayola, Munoz; Barja, Oroz, M Gomez; Kike
We say: Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna
Osasuna are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Barcelona, but we are finding it difficult to back anything other than a routine victory for the league leaders, who are getting closer and closer to being confirmed as champions for the 2022-23 campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
