Real Valladolid will be bidding to give their incredibly-slim La Liga survival hopes a boost when they continue their campaign with a home fixture against Osasuna on Sunday afternoon.
The White and Violets are rock bottom of the La Liga table, some 14 points behind 17th-placed Alaves with only seven games left to play, while Osasuna are 12th, five points off eighth-placed Mallorca in the battle for a European spot.
Match preview
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Real Valladolid have a record of four wins, four draws and 23 defeats from their 31 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 16 points leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table, 14 points behind 17th-placed Alaves.
Alvaro Rubio's side need one of the most spectacular turnarounds of all time to escape the bottom three, but it is incredibly difficult to imagine that occurring due to their ongoing struggles in Spain's top flight.
The White and Violets have lost each of their last five in La Liga, including a 4-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid last time out, and they have now conceded 73 times in their 31 La Liga games this term, which is comfortably the worst defensive record.
Real Valladolid also have the worst attacking record in La Liga this term, finding the back of the net on 21 occasions, so it is not difficult to understand why the team are currently sitting at the bottom of the table.
Pucela were last victorious over Osasuna in December 2020, but two of the last four top-flight meetings between these two sides have finished 0-0, while it was only 1-0 to Osasuna in the reverse game earlier this season.
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As of Thursday, La Liga are now confirmed to have five Champions League spots available to them for next season, while sixth and seventh will qualify for the Europe League, opening up eighth as another European position - a spot in the Conference League playoff round.
Osasuna have therefore been given a major European boost, as Vicente Moreno's side are only five points off eighth-placed Mallorca, so a win here would put them in the running with six games left to play.
Los Rojillos will bring a three-game unbeaten run into this match, drawing with Athletic Bilbao and Leganes before recording a much-needed 2-1 victory over Girona last time out, which proved to be the team's first win since the start of February.
Osasuna have been disappointing on their travels this season, only winning one of their 15 league games away from their own stadium, but they will be coming up against a Real Valladolid side with just 13 home points this term.
These are the type of matches that Moreno's side must win if they are serious about claiming a European spot for next season.
Team News
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Real Valladolid head coach Rubio could name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Atletico, as there were certainly a number of positives from the clash with the Red and Whites.
Mamadou Sylla registered at Wanda Metropolitano and is likely to continue through the middle, but it is possible that there could be an alteration in the wide areas, with Raul Moro pushing for a recall.
Mario Martin will be back in the squad after serving a suspension, but Karl Hein remains a doubt due to an injury problem, so it is likely that Andre Ferreira will again feature between the sticks.
As for Osasuna, Raul Garcia and Bryan Zaragoza both missed the team's narrow success over Girona last time out, and the pair remain major doubts for the contest with Real Valladolid.
Pablo Ibanez came off the bench to score against Girona, and it is possible that he could now be introduced into the side, with Ruben Garcia the player in danger of losing his spot in the XI.
Ante Budimir has had another strong season, finding the back of the net on 16 occasions in Spain's top flight, and the 33-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field.
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Ferreira; Candela, Aidoo, J Sanchez, Henrique; Tuhami, Chuky, Juric, Grillitsch, Moro; Sylla
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Boyomo, Catena, Herrando, Bretones; Moncayola, Torro, Oroz; Ibanez, Budimir
We say: Real Valladolid 1-2 Osasuna
This is far from a certain away win considering Osasuna's struggles on the road this season, but Real Valladolid are an incredibly difficult team to back at the moment, so we are expecting the visitors to navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
