Rayo Vallecano will be aiming to stretch their unbeaten run of form in La Liga to six matches when they head to El Sadar Stadium on Sunday evening to tackle Osasuna.
The visitors are currently ninth in the La Liga table, boasting 25 points from their opening 19 matches of the campaign, while Osasuna are 11th, also on 25 points from the same number of fixtures.
Match preview
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Osasuna will enter Sunday's contest off the back of an excellent win, having beaten Athletic Bilbao 3-2 in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey on Thursday evening, with the holders being eliminated from the competition.
Vicente Moreno's side did lose 1-0 to Atletico Madrid in La Liga last weekend, though, and they are currently on a run of seven games without a victory in Spain's top flight, dating back to the start of November against Real Valladolid.
Los Rojillos were 11th in La Liga last season, and that is the position that they occupy after 19 matches of the 2024-25 campaign, boasting a record of six wins, seven draws and six defeats to collect 25 points.
Osasuna are nine points outside of the relegation zone and just three points off seventh-placed Real Sociedad, so it has been a solid first half of the season, and they will certainly have their eyes on a top-10 finish.
Los Rojillos actually have the fifth-best home record in La Liga this season, picking up 18 points from their 10 games in front of their own fans, while Rayo have 13 points to show from their 10 fixtures on their travels.
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Rayo were also in Copa del Rey action on Thursday, but they exited the competition courtesy of a 3-1 defeat to Real Sociedad, so the capital outfit now only have the league to focus on for the remainder of the campaign.
Inigo Perez's side beat Celta Vigo 2-1 in La Liga last weekend, and they are unbeaten in their last five in Spain's top flight, with that run including draws against both Real Madrid and Villarreal in December.
Los Franjirrojos have the same record as Osasuna this term - six wins, seven draws and six defeats from 19 matches - but they are up in ninth spot due to the head-to-head record, having beaten Sunday's opponents 3-1 in Madrid earlier this season.
Rayo have enjoyed their recent meetings with Osasuna, triumphing in three of their last four La Liga contests, although they suffered a 1-0 defeat on their last trip to El Sadar in December 2023.
The capital outfit actually finished a disappointing 17th last term, so there is plenty of room for improvement this season, and it is very difficult to imagine them being dragged into any form of relegation battle.
Team News
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Osasuna will again be without the services of Bryan Zaragoza due to a fractured metatarsal, but the home side are otherwise in excellent shape, with Iker Munoz making his comeback from injury off the bench against Athletic.
Ante Budimir scored a brace in Osasuna's win over Athletic, and he is certain to start in the final third of the field, with the experienced striker scoring 10 times in Spain's top flight this term.
Ruben Garcia should also retain his spot, but there are expected to be changes from Thursday's fixture, with Abel Bretones, Jorge Herrando and Moi Gomez potentially being introduced into the XI due to the quick turnaround.
As for Rayo, Pathe Ciss will miss the contest through suspension, while Joni Montiel and Raul de Tomas are unavailable for selection.
Head coach Perez made changes for the clash with Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey, but there will be recalls for the likes of Adri Embarba, Isi Palazon, Unai Lopez, Sergio Camello and Pep Chavarria this weekend.
There is also expected to be another spot at right-back for Andrei Ratiu, who is believed to have caught the attention of Real Madrid with his impressive performances during the 2024-25 campaign.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Pena, Boyomo, Catena, Herrando, Bretones; Ibanez, Torro, M Gomez; Ruben Garcia, Budimir
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Cardenas; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mumin, Chavarria; De Frutos, U Lopez, Valentin, Embarba; Camello, Palazon
We say: Osasuna 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Osasuna beat Rayo 1-0 in the corresponding fixture during the 2024-25 campaign, and we can see the the same scoreline here; Moreno's team have been strong at home this term and could shade a close contest at El Sadar.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
