Osasuna and Espanyol will battle for three points in La Liga this Thursday when both sides meet at Estadio El Sadar in Pamplona.
Venue: Estadio El Sadar (Pamplona)
Key Statistics
Osasuna have lost their last two home games while conceding four times in both games.
They are winless in their last four La Liga games (D1, L3).
The hosts have averaged one red card per game across their last four games.
Osasuna have received 26 yellow cards in the league this season.
Espanyol have scored in each of their last seven La Liga games (W2, D2, L3).
The visitors have won just one of their away league games this calendar year (D5, L7).
They have hit the woodwork more times than any other team in La Liga this season.
Head to head
Espanyol have struggled in their visits here as they have just two wins in their last nine visits here (D1, L6), failing to score in seven of those games.
Latest performances in all competitions
Osasuna: L-L-D-W-L
Espanyol: W-D-D-L-L
Osasuna
Osasuna will look to get back to winning ways when they welcome Espanyol to Pamplona on Thursday.
The hosts come into this round of games without a win in their last four games (D1, L3). After a strong start to the season, Osasuna’s form has dropped with Monday night’s 2-0 defeat to Villarreal, the third game in the last four they have conceded two goals.
A major part of their poor form has been their poor discipline, with the hosts averaging one red card per game across their last four league fixtures.
They will return home where they have often produced late winners, looking to end a run of two straight home defeats as they attempt to push themselves back to the European spots, having dropped to mid-table with their recent results.
Given that they haven’t lost three consecutive La Liga home games since December 2016, they will fancy their chances of getting back to winning ways at home in this game.
Possible Osasuna starting line-up
Sergio Herrera; Nacho Vidal, Aridane Hernandez, Manu Sanchez, Juan Cruz; Moi Gomez, Jon Moncayola, Lucas Torro, Aimar Oroz Huarte, Abde Ezzalzouli; Kike.
Injured: Kiko Saverio
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Espanyol
After recording one win and four losses from their opening six games of the season, Espanyol will travel to Pamplona in decent shape.
The visitors come into this tie on the back of a 1-0 win over Real Valladolid. The win, which was secured courtesy of a goal by Joselu, extended Espanyol’s unbeaten run in the league to three games (D2) and pushed them towards the top half of the table.
Having scored in each of their last seven La Liga games (W2, D2, L3), they will be looking to continue their unbeaten run when they face an Osasuna side they did not lose to in two league games last season.
But to do that, they will have to bury their chances in front of their opponent’s goal while remaining resolute at the back. Coach Diego Martínez claimed after their win over Valladolid that his side have hit the woodwork more often than any other side, meaning their first home La Liga win of the campaign “gave a great feeling” to the club.
But his side will need to keep improving, as they look to win just their second away league game this calendar year (W, D5, L7).
Possible Espanyol starting line-up
Benjamin Lecomte, Fernando Calero, Sergi Gomez, Leandro Cabrera, Brian Olivan; Eduardo Exposito, Vinicius Souza, Sergi Darder; Aleix Vidal, Joselu, Nico Melamed
Injured: Andria Pedrosa
Doubtful: Ruben Sanchez
Suspended: None
Prediction
Osasuna 2-1 Espanyol
