CA Osasuna (7th, 11 points) vs. FC Barcelona (1st, 21 points)*

*As of the time of writing

Competition/round: 2024-25 LaLigaMatchday 8

Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Andreas Christensen, Fermín López, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal (aus)

Osasuna Outs & Doubts: Iker Muñoz, Jon Moncayola, Kike Barja (doubts)

Date/time: Saturday, September 28, 2024, 9:00 p.m. CET (Barcelona), 8:00 p.m. BST/WAT (UK and Nigeria), 3:00 p.m. ET, 12:00 p.m. PT (US), 12:30 a.m. IST (India, Sunday)

Venue: Estadio El SadarPamplona, ​​Spain

referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández

VAR: Valentin Pizarro Gomez

On TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar (Spain), TSN 5 (Canada), others

On-line: ESPN+ (US), LaLigaTV (UK), GXR World (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others

After a hard-fought home win against Getafe in midweek, Barcelona are back in action looking for their best start ever LaLiga season as they travel to the beautiful city of Pamplona to take on Osasuna El Sadar Stadium on Saturday evening football.

Barça have won their first seven games at the start of the new season and are one win away from matching the record start of Tata Martino’s side from the 2013/14 season, which won their first eight league games.

The Catalans are off to a fantastic start, with some great football, a clear change in philosophy and a fantastic display of their resilience to continue winning games despite a massive injury crisis. It’s been a very long time since Barça has been this fun to watch and the results match the entertainment factor.

There is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to their European successes, but there is no doubt that Hansi Flick’s side can win the league title and will look to maintain their lead at the top with another win this weekend .

But it won’t be easy playing against an Osasuna team that has caused Barça a lot of trouble in the last decade, especially at El Sadar. Even if they didn’t defeat them Blaugrana At home in 12 years they always manage to make the games really close and are never content to just park the bus and be really defensive for 90 minutes.

And this particular version of Osasuna has a very underrated forward line with some very talented young players, and although their defense hasn’t been going well so far, their offense is fast and really dangerous, especially when they have space to counterattack.

They, like every other team playing Barça this season, will look to exploit the Catalans’ high line when winning the ball in midfield, and players like Aimar Oroz and Bryan Zaragoza can cause real chaos up front.

Barça will be favorites to win, but it won’t be a walk in the park. Osasuna are quite good with the ball and won’t need many chances to score if they are allowed to go on the counterattack. Therefore, Barça’s midfield will have to be extra careful and precise when passing to establish their dominance on the road and score an early goal or two to prevent another dramatic away game in Pamplona.

Let’s Dance.

POSSIBLE SETUPS

Barcelona (4-3-3): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Balde; Casadó, Eric, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Osasuna (4-2-3-1): Herrera; Areso, Catena, Boyomo, Cruz; Ibáñez, Torró; Garcia, Aimar, Bryan; Budimir

FORECAST

Osasuna almost never leaves the bus at home and will take the game to Barça, and I believe that will work to the advantage of Hansi Flick’s team: 3-1 for the good guys.