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Atleticovs.Osasuna

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 May 2024, 10:11
Atletico Madrid will be bidding to make it five straight wins in Spain's top flight when they face Osasuna in their penultimate match of the campaign on Sunday evening.

Diego Simeone's side are fourth in the La Liga table and already guaranteed a spot in next season's Champions League, while Osasuna occupy 13th spot, boasting 41 points from their 36 matches.

Match preview

Atletico have impressively held off a challenge from Athletic Bilbao to secure a top-four position in the table, and Simeone's side can still finish above Girona in third position in the latter stages of the season.

Indeed, the Red and Whites are only two points behind third-placed Girona with two games left; they are also just six points from second-placed Barcelona, but the Catalan outfit have the superior head-to-head record and are therefore guaranteed to finish above the capital team.

Atletico, who reached the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League, will enter this match off the back of four straight league wins, overcoming Athletic, Mallorca, Celta Vigo and Getafe since a 2-0 reverse to Alaves.

The Red and Whites will now be bidding to finish their campaign with victories over Osasuna and Real Sociedad, with their attention then switching to what is shaping up to be an interesting transfer window for the club.

Atletico have the second-best home record in La Liga this season behind the champions Real Madrid, picking up 49 points from 18 matches, winning 16 times in the process.

Osasuna, meanwhile, will enter Sunday's contest off the back of successive draws with Athletic and Mallorca, with the two results stretching their winless run in La Liga to six matches.

Jagoba Arrasate's side have only managed to win one of their last nine league games, and they currently sit in 13th spot in the table, boasting 41 points from their 36 matches courtesy of a record of 11 wins, eight draws and 17 defeats.

Osasuna can still finish as high as 10th, but they could also slide towards the relegation zone in the final two gameweeks, with a lot of movement still potentially taking place before the end of the season.

Arrasate is preparing to step down as head coach this summer, so there will be a new face in the dug-out next season for a team that have secured a sixth straight campaign at this level of football.

Osasuna, who have picked up a respectable 19 points from their 18 away league matches this season, are incredibly on an 11-game losing run against Atletico in Spain's top flight, with their last success in this fixture coming 10 years ago.

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

W

L

W

W

W

W

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

L

L

W

W

W

W

Osasuna La Liga form:

L

L

L

L

D

D

Team News

Atletico are again set to be without the services of Nahuel Molina, Thomas Lemar and Marcos Paulo this weekend, but the squad is otherwise in good shape.

Saul Niguez could potentially be introduced into the XI this weekend, but it might otherwise be the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Getafe.

Antoine Griezmann scored a hat-trick last time out and will continue in the final third, and he is expected to be joined by Angel Correa, with Alvaro Morata and Memphis Depay both starting on the bench on Sunday.

As for Osasuna, David Garcia remains a doubt due to a muscular problem, while Kike Barja is definitely out of the contest due to a long-term knee injury.

Pablo Ibanez is back from a suspension, though, and Arrasate's team did not pick up any fresh fitness problems in their 1-1 draw with Mallorca last time out.

Ibanez is likely to be introduced back into the XI on Sunday, while there is likely to be a return at centre-forward for Ante Budimir, who has now overcome the hip problem which he suffered in the middle of April.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Witsel, Gimenez, Hermoso, Lino; De Paul, Koke, Saul; Correa, Griezmann

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Fernandez; Pena, Catena, Herrando, Cruz; Moncayola, Munoz, Ibanez; Ruben Garcia, Budimir, Arnaiz

We say: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Osasuna

It is 10 years since Osasuna last beat Atletico in La Liga, and we are expecting a 12th straight success for the capital outfit in this fixture. Simeone's side have been so strong at home this season, and it is difficult to see anything other than a routine success for the Red and Whites on Sunday.

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