Welcome to another match preview at TalkBarca. Osasuna vs Barcelona is just around the corner. With the International break approaching, Barcelona has to end this match on a good level and maintain the hype they have created. Barca is now at 10th position on the points table. Our Arch rivals, Real Madrid are still above with 1 point lead at 4th position. On the top is Sevilla with a total of 7 points. The race for La Liga title is on and things are expected to get more difficult as the season proceeds.

Going into this important fixture, there are multiples of similarities for the Blaugranas as the previous one. They still have a lot to prove. This away fixture will be a high pressing and pressure game. A loss or draw can make things very complicated in the La Liga title race. Let’s have a deeper look at the FC Barcelona vs Osasuna match preview and see if Barcelona is ready to take on this challenge.

OSASUNA VS FC BARCELONA MATCH PREVIEW

Kick-off Timings:

The kick-off is at 5:00 local time. For Pakistani fans, the kick-off timings will be 8:00 pm. When it comes to watching a football delight, timings do not seem to matter. However, you can still look at the image below and check the timings for your respective country.

Our Opponents (Osasuna):

Critics and football pundits are claiming that FC Barcelona will win by 3+ goals. However, this will not be an easy game. If this would have been an outing at Camp Nou, Barca would have dominated them completely. However, at their home, playing in a similar way would be really tricky. Osasuna are a much complete side now. They have a good and fresh squad and a good manager. They also have been playing quality football lately. Their boys and the manager are super confident. Moreover, they have kicked off the league with 1 win out of 2 matches and a draw.

They are yet a team which is tough breakdown. The pitch over there has always seemed to trouble the Catalonia boys. If we take into account our previous meetings, we have 3 clear home victories. However, when playing at their home, we have 2 wins 1 draw and 1 loss in previous 4 meetings.

It is not only Barcelona which is dealing with injuries. Enrique Barja and Unai Garcia are going to miss this game and not sure how many due to their long term injuries. The fitness of Luis Perea and Inigo Perez is also in question and their name in the squad list has not yet been confirmed.

Ruben, Hernandez, Garcia​, Torres; Avila, Cardona are some of the players we expect who will be in the starting line up for Osasuna.

FC Barcelona Team Analysis:

Attack:

Barcelona is expected to continue with almost the same squad as the previous one. Suarez and Ousmane Dembele will surely miss the upcoming fixture. The manager, Ernesto Valverde has also made clear that he will not risk putting Messi into the squad. Messi is expected to return will full fitness after the International break is over. Furthermore, Neto will also be out of the squad.

This all means that Antoine Griezmann has to shine once again as the Cules have set high hopes for him. Being under such pressure can be very hard on a player to manage. However, Griezmann is also getting a sufficient chance to prove himself as a pure fit into the Catalan squad and make his name into the starting side for the long term.

Carlos Perez and Ansu Fati can get their chance too. It is moments like these when young players have to step up and make a name for themselves. Perez has a huge responsibility on his shoulders as well. He has to show that previous performance was not a fluke and he is capable enough to start with the senior squad. Also, Carlos Perez involvement in the game will highly be judged as he has been demanding first team football for quite long.

Ansu Fati, the young star, did deliver against Betis, but, now he has to do it again. Playing home and away are two completely different scenarios and you have to perform consistently in order to tell the higher authorities that you are worthy enough to be playing with the seniors.

Midfield:

The midfield will highly be circulating around Sergio Busquests and De Jong. They will have to make more efforts than usual and work to maintain maximum possession. Possession is the main factor of problems when playing away. Therefore, our midfielders have to move around the pitch a lot in order to make small plays with their attackers and must not lose the ball often.

Rakitic will also be a question. He has only got 45 minutes of total playing time this season. Arthur is also expected to start. After playing brilliantly in the previous season, he needs to be used more. Personally, I am expecting a midfield of Arthur, De Jong, and Busquests which promises to be really exciting.

Defense:

The Osasuna outing will be a test for the full backs. We do not expect much changes in the back 4. Therefore, Jordi Alba and Semedo will have to push a lot more. Alba will have to show his seniority in the squad and so does Pique. The wing backs, like in any other game, will have to show involvement with the midfield and often travelling to the final third of the pitch to help their attackers as well.

Squad for Osasuna vs Barcelona

18 players have traveled away for the important fixture.

Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen, Inaki Pena.

Fullbacks: N. Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Umtiti, and Wague

Midfielders: I. Rakitic, Sergio, Arthur, S. Roberto, F. De Jong, and Vidal.

Attackers: Rafinha, Griezmann, C . Perez and Ansu Fati.

Predicted lineup:

We are expected to start with the same 11 in the previous game. However, the center of the park will be an interesting decision for Valverde. Arthur is expected to start because he is well capable of handling such fixtures. Moreover, Vidal can also be used in order to pose a more physical factor on the pitch. We will have to wait to see what Valverde decides.

Rafinha will also be a good choice to start on the left wing. He really linked up plays with the midfield in the previous game. However, all eyes are going to set up on Griezmann and the fans demand another Grizzy show tonight.

Score Prediction:

We are expecting Griezmann and Carlos Pere to score again and our final score prediction is 3-0 in favor of Barcelona. Obviously, that will require a lot of efforts. Will the Blaugranas do it again? Let’s wait to find out.

Verdict:

That was all for today’s match preview of Osasuna vs FC Barcelona. The final verdict stands that Osasuna vs FC Barcelona will definitely not be an easy fixture. However, if Barcelona starts with maximum possession and high pressing early on, the result can be similar to the one against Betis. What do you think of this match preview? I would like to get your feedback on this article and would love to hear your opinion. Who do you think will start the game? Let me know in the comments section below. Visca El Barca!