Osasuna vs Atlético – News and Probable Lineups

Osasuna aims to leverage their home ground advantage as they face Atletico Madrid at Estadio El Sadar on Tuesday night, with only three rounds left in the La Liga season.

The home team will be eager to recover from a series of disappointing results, while the visiting side comes to Pamplona determined to reverse their recent poor form and finish the season strongly.

Match overview

Osasuna currently holds the 10th position in the La Liga standings with 42 points accumulated from 35 matches – a result that exceeds expectations, particularly as many predicted Alessio Lisci’s team would be in a relegation fight at the season’s outset.

With a goal difference of -3, having scored 42 and conceded 45, Osasuna showcases a team that has had challenges in maintaining consistency. However, their secure mid-table position as the season concludes signifies a positive outcome for the club.

Osasuna has performed significantly better at El Sadar compared to their away games, boasting a home record of nine wins, five draws, and three losses.

Their recent performances at home in La Liga have been decent, recording three wins, two draws, and one defeat over their last six matches at El Sadar, scoring nine goals and conceding seven.

However, their last three matches highlight a pattern of inconsistency: a 2-1 win against Sevilla was followed by two defeats – a 2-1 loss to Barcelona and a 3-2 defeat to Levante.

The loss to Levante was particularly disheartening, as Osasuna allowed two quick goals before conceding a third in the 90th minute as their opponents completed a comeback. Lisci will expect a much steadier performance from his team on Tuesday.

In their past five matches across all competitions, Osasuna has managed only one victory, one draw, and three losses.

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, arrives at El Sadar also looking to return to winning form.

Diego Simeone’s team sits in fourth place with 63 points earned from 19 wins, six draws, and 10 losses, and while their position in the top four is not yet confirmed, they are still the favorites to keep that ranking until the end of the season.

Recent performances, however, have been concerning for Atletico, who have secured only two wins, one draw, and two losses from their last five matches in all competitions.

They come to El Sadar following a 1-0 defeat against Celta Vigo at the Metropolitano, which came after a 1-0 loss to Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final, a result that dashed the club’s hopes for silverware this season.

Atletico’s away form is particularly alarming, with five wins, five draws, and seven losses in La Liga.

In their last six away matches in La Liga, Simeone’s team has recorded only two wins without any draws and suffered four defeats in the process.

Traditionally compact, practical, and well-organized defensively, achieving the right balance between defensive strength and offensive creativity has proven challenging this season, and Tuesday’s fixture will test their resilience once again.

In the last five encounters between these teams, Atletico has emerged victorious in three, while Osasuna has won the other two.

Team News

Osasuna will be without goalkeeper Sergio Herrera, who received a red card at half time against Levante for handling the ball outside the box and will serve a suspension on Tuesday night.

Victor Munoz has been out of action since late April due to a calf issue and is not anticipated to be available.

Alejandro Catena and Flavien Enzo Boyomo are expected to lead the defense, while Iker Munoz and Jon Moncayola will likely take on roles in central midfield.

Atletico brings several injury concerns, with Pablo Barrios, Giuliano Simeone, and Johnny Cardoso all unavailable due to thigh injuries ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

Nicolas Gonzalez is likewise ruled out due to a thigh problem, while Julian Alvarez misses out with an ankle injury – a significant loss considering the Argentine’s key role in Simeone’s attacking strategy.

Despite these absentees, Atletico possesses enough quality within their squad to field a competitive XI, with Antoine Griezmann and Ademola Lookman expected to spearhead the attack against Osasuna, who has shown defensive weaknesses recently.

Osasuna probable starting XI:

Fernandez; Rosier, Boyomo, Catena, Bretons; Moncayola, Munoz; Garcia, Oroz, Moro; Budimir

Atletico Madrid probable starting XI:

Clouds; Ruggeri, Hancko, Lenglet, Pubill; Lookman, Baena, Koke, Llorente; Sorloth, Griezmann

Given Osasuna’s strong home record and Atletico’s troubles away, this matchup poses a greater challenge than the standings might indicate, and Lisci’s team will be hopeful of causing issues for their opponents at El Sadar.

Nevertheless, the skills of Griezmann and Lookman are likely to be decisive, and I would favor Simeone’s team to prevail.