Both Osasuna and Getafe will be bidding to bounce back from midweek Copa del Rey defeats when they lock horns in Spain's top flight on Sunday afternoon.
Osasuna are currently 12th in the La Liga table, boasting 22 points from their opening 19 matches, while Getafe are 10th, collecting four more points than their opponents in this clash.
Match preview
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Osasuna finished seventh in La Liga last season, in addition to making the Copa del Rey final, but it would be fair to say that their level has dropped during the 2023-24 campaign.
Consistency has been an issue for Los Rojillos this term, boasting a record of six wins, four draws and nine defeats from 19 league matches, which has left them in 12th position in the table on 22 points.
Jagoba Arrasate's side have not actually been in league action since recording a 1-0 win over basement side Almeria on January 4; since then, they have been in Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup, in addition to playing twice in the Copa del Rey.
Osasuna beat Castellon 1-0 in the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey on January 7, but they then lost 2-0 to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup, before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Wednesday evening to exit the Copa del Rey in the round of 16.
The Pamplona-based outfit now have just the league to focus on this season, and they will be bidding to overcome Getafe for the first time since February 2014 in this weekend's La Liga affair.
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This has been a fixture dominated by Getafe in recent years, with the capital side winning four of their last five meetings in Spain's top flight, including a 3-2 success in the reverse fixture earlier this term.
The Deep Blue Ones have finished 15th in each of their last three La Liga campaigns, but they are currently up in 10th position in the table, boasting 26 points from their 19 matches this season courtesy of a record of six wins, eight draws and five defeats.
Getafe were last in league action on January 2, suffering a 2-0 home loss to Rayo Vallecano, with their last two matches coming in the Copa del Rey, beating Espanyol 1-0 in the round of 32 before suffering a 3-1 home defeat to Sevilla in the last-16 stage of the competition earlier this week.
Jose Bordalas's side were unbeaten at home in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign; they have now suffered successive losses in front of their own fans, but the capital team will bring a four-game unbeaten run on their travels into Sunday's clash.
Getafe will certainly have their eyes on a top-half finish this season, and they have previous when it comes to finishing high up the division, having secured fifth spot as recently as 2019.
Team News
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Osasuna have no injury problems at this moment in time, so head coach Arrasate will, as it stands, have a full squad available for selection this weekend.
There will be changes from the side that started against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey last time out, with Sergio Herrera, Iker Munoz and Moi Gomez among those set to be reintroduced back into the side.
Ante Budimir has been in impressive form in La Liga this season, finding the back of the net on nine occasions, and the 32-year-old will again lead the Osasuna line in this weekend's fixture.
As for Getafe, Mauro Arambarri is out for the season due to a serious knee injury, while the visitors will also be missing Damian Suarez, Juanmi Latasa and Jaime Mata through suspension here.
Mason Greenwood was sent off against Rayo in the league last time out, but the red card was rescinded by the Spanish FA, so the on-loan Manchester United forward is available this weekend.
Enes Unal could feature alongside Borja Mayoral in the final third of the field, while the absence of Mata could open the door for Oscar Rodriguez to feature in an attacking position.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Catena, D Garcia, Pena; Moncayola, Munoz, Oroz; Avila, Budimir, M Gomez
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Iglesias, Dakonam, Alvarez, Rico; Greenwood, Maksimovic, Milla, O Rodriguez; Mayoral, Unal
We say: Osasuna 1-1 Getafe
Osasuna have won just three home league games this season, while Getafe have drawn five times on their travels. A case can be made for either team to triumph this weekend, but we believe that a close contest between two well-matched sides will end with the points being shared.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
