Barcelona will be bidding to move a step closer to winning the La Liga title when they head to Estadio El Sadar on Saturday evening to tackle Osasuna.
Hansi Flick’s side are currently 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga tablewhile Osasuna are ninth, two points off sixth-placed Getafe in the race for Europe.
Match preview
Osasuna will enter this weekend’s match off the back of a 2-1 success over Sevillawith the result leaving them ninth in the division, two points behind sixth-placed Getafe in the battle to secure European qualification for the 2026-27 campaign.
Los Rojillos have a record of 11 wins, nine draws and 13 defeats from their 33 league matches this season, and they have been excellent at home this season, picking up 32 points from 16 matches, recording nine wins in the process.
Alessio Lisci’s side have only won one of their last four in the league, but they have also lost just once during that period, and it is shaping up to be a fascinating battle for the top six.
Osasuna have only won 21 of their previous 100 matches against Barcelona throughout history, and they suffered a 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Los Rojillos do have a recent home win over Barcelona to their name, though, recording a 4-2 victory in September 2024, and Real Madrid will be hoping for a favour from Lisci’s team here.
© Imago / ZUMA Press Wire
Barcelona can win the La Liga title this weekend – for that to occur, the Catalan outfit need to beat Osasuna on Saturday, which would move them onto 88 points, and then hope that Real Madrid – second on 74 points – fail to beat Espanyol on Sunday night.
It is surely a case of when and not if Barcelona win the championship, though, and it could occur in El Clasico next weekend if the title is not decided in this particular gameweek.
The Catalan side have a record of 28 wins, one draw and four defeats from their 33 league matches this season to collect 85 points, and they have been comfortably the best side in the division in 2025-26, with Real Madrid a distant second.
Barcelona have the best away record in La Liga this season, picking up 34 points from 16 matches, scoring 35 times in the process.
The main disappointment for the club this season will be their quarter-final elimination from the Champions League, and new signings must be made this summer, including a top-class centre-back, in order to seriously challenge for the European Cup next term.
Osasuna La Liga form:
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Barcelona La Liga form:
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Barcelona form (all competitions):
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Team News
© Iconsport / Pressinphoto
Osasuna will be missing Iker Benito (knee) and Victor Munoz (muscle) for Saturday’s match, while Aimar Oroz (muscle) needs to be assessed ahead of the match.
Ante Budimir has been in excellent form for Osasuna this season, scoring 16 times in 32 La Liga appearances, and the forward will once again feature in the final third of the field.
There is a hope that Oroz will ultimately be passed fit, allowing him to operate as the number 10, with Ruben Garcia expected to be given the nod down the left for the hosts.
As for Barcelona, Raphinha and Marc Bernal are both back in training after recovering from injury problems, and the pair are likely to be in the squad this weekend.
Andreas Christensen has also made excellent progress in his recovery from a serious knee injury, but this game will come too soon for the Denmark international.
Lamine Yamal is out for the season with a hamstring injury, while Jules Kounde is suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up in the 2-0 success over Getafewhich made it nine league wins in a row for Flick’s team.
Eric Garcia was suspended last time out but should return here, potentially at right-back, while Roony Bardghji could be handed another start down the right.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Rosier, Catena, Boyomo, Galan; I Munoz, Moncayola; Moro, Oroz, Ruben Garcia; Budimir
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
J Garcia; E Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo; Gavi, Pedri; Bardghji, Olmo, Fermin; Torres
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