- 1 Osasuna vs Espanyol Barcelona: a Navarre fortress up against a silent away attack
- 2 Osasuna: Budimir leads the line, El Sadar does the rest
- 3 Espanyol Barcelona: plenty of fight, but the attack has stalled away from home
- 4 La Liga prediction Osasuna vs Espanyol Barcelona
- 5 First, a quick word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information that changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Osasuna vs Espanyol Barcelona: a Navarre fortress up against a silent away attack 
Osasuna have not conceded a single goal at El Sadar since the start of the season. Two home games, zero goals against, and just one scored at the other end.
Espanyol head to Pamplona with a similarly poor away record: one goal scored and two shipped. Kick-off is set for Saturday 12 September at 16:15, Spanish and French time.
The two clubs are separated by three points in the table, with Osasuna eighth on seven and Espanyol 12th on four. The gap is real, but it is not a chasm.
The Navarre side are coming off a hiding, though: a 5-2 defeat in Vitoria against Alaves on 6 September, when Lucas Boye bagged a hat-trick. A night that stood in stark contrast to their home discipline.
Espanyol, meanwhile, scraped a 1-1 draw with Sevilla on 6 September thanks to a Marcos Fernandez goal in the very last seconds of added time. That equaliser in the 90e+8 tells you plenty about Manolo Gonzalez’s side.
So this is a meeting between two clear profiles: one side that shuts up shop at home, and another that struggles to create anything away from home. The goal count looks set to stay low.
Another stat backs that up. Osasuna have won 15 corners in four rounds, Espanyol just three. Their ability to pin teams back is nowhere near the same.
El Sadar is set to see 28 degrees and a strong 18 km/h wind. Conditions like that make direct play harder and suit the teams that relish a scrap.
Osasuna: Budimir leads the line, El Sadar does the rest 
Seven points from four matches, two wins, one draw and one defeat. Osasuna’s numbers are decent enough, even with a negative goal difference, scoring five and conceding six.
The 1-0 win over Getafe on 31 August summed up Luis Miguel Ramis’s side perfectly. Ante Budimir converted a penalty just before half-time, and the defence shut the door after that.
The 35-year-old Croat is the main threat in attack with four goals in four rounds, three of them from the spot, and a perfect three from three on penalties. Osasuna have also been awarded three penalties so far this season, the most in the league.
The loss in Vitoria was the exception rather than the rule. Budimir scored twice there, including one penalty, but the Navarre defence fell apart and conceded five to a flying Alaves side.
At El Sadar, the numbers tell a different story for Osasuna: 22 shots taken, nine on target, 22 conceded but only two of them on target for the opposition. That ability to force teams into low-quality efforts is the backbone of the system.
The injury list is giving the staff a headache. Jorge Herrando is out until November with an adductor issue, Aimar Oroz and Moi Gomez are sidelined until the end of the month with hamstring problems, while Valentin Rosier remains a doubt.
The Navarre blueprint is simple: accept pressure, then choke it off. They have faced 38 shots in four matches, only 11 of them on target. The block stays compact and invites shots from range.
Fifty-five fouls complete the picture. Osasuna break up play constantly, even if it means collecting 10 yellow cards already this season.
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Espanyol Barcelona: plenty of fight, but the attack has stalled away from home 
Four points from four matches, one win, one draw and two defeats. Six goals scored and five conceded, and Manolo Gonzalez’s side still have a positive goal difference despite the league position.
The 1-1 draw with Sevilla showed Espanyol don’t know when they’re beaten. Marcos Fernandez levelled in the 90e+8, five minutes after Lucas Stassin’s opener, rescuing a point that looked lost.
Roberto Fernandez is the main danger with three goals in four rounds and 352 minutes played, which makes him the most used attacking player. Joan Garcia has been just as reliable in goal, playing every minute of all four matches.
One stat sums up their problem when trying to take control: three corners won in four rounds. No other team in the division is quite that poor in this area.
The away record is just as grim: 11 shots taken, three on target, one goal scored and two conceded. Espanyol offer far less on the road than they do at home in Cornella.
Two long-term absentees are hurting the attack. Javi Puado has been out since 11 January after an ACL rupture and will not be back until October, while Kike Garcia is sidelined until December after a complete proximal hamstring tendon rupture suffered on 1 August.
Discipline is another issue for the Catalans: 67 fouls and 14 yellow cards in four matches, both the highest totals in this fixture. At El Sadar, that kind of carelessness often gets punished.
Dmitrovic has played all four matches in full between the sticks. His consistency is one of the few steady things in a side still searching for rhythm in attack.
Probable Osasuna line-up: Not announced at time of publication.
Probable Espanyol Barcelona line-up: Not announced at time of publication.
La Liga prediction Osasuna vs Espanyol Barcelona
Our prediction: Osasuna to win
Osasuna have not conceded at home this season and have allowed only two shots on target at El Sadar across two matches. That home defensive record is the strongest case to make on the night.
On the other side, Espanyol have scored just once away from home, managed only three shots on target, and arrive without Puado or Kike Garcia. Add Budimir, who has four goals and has not missed a penalty, and the balance tips clearly.
The call is straightforward: the Navarre side should do the business in front of their own fans. Back Osasuna to win.
One last angle points the same way: three corners won in four rounds and three shots on target away from home for the Pericos. Creating chances at El Sadar will take more than that.
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