Preview: Osasuna vs. Celta Vigo - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side are currently eighth in the table, one point behind sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano, while Celta sit 13th, four points clear of the relegation zone at a key stage of the season.

Match preview

Osasuna have put themselves in a strong position to reach this season's Copa del Rey final, having recorded a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their semi-final last week.

The second leg of the last-four contest will not take place until the start of April, though, so they can focus on the league in the coming weeks, with the team preparing to take on Celta, Valencia, Villarreal and Mallorca before the end of the month.

Los Rojillos were involved in a five-goal thriller with Sevilla in La Liga last weekend, emerging victorious courtesy of an 85th-minute winner from Abde Ezzalzouli, who also struck the only goal of the contest against Athletic last time out.

Jagoba Arrasate's side are currently eighth in the table, just one point behind sixth-placed Rayo, boasting a record of nine wins, six draws and eight defeats from their 23 league matches in 2022-23.

Osasuna are bidding to do a league double over Celta this season, meanwhile, having recorded a 2-1 victory when the two teams locked horns in the reverse fixture towards the start of November.

Celta will also enter this match off the back of a positive result, having recorded a 3-0 victory over Real Valladolid in the league last weekend.

Haris Seferovic opened the scoring against Real Valladolid before Gabri Veiga struck twice, and the result moved the Sky Blues into 13th position in the table.

Celta are only four points clear of the relegation zone, so a lot could change in the coming weeks, but the team's recent form has been impressive.

Indeed, Carlos Carvalhal's side have been victorious in three of their last five league games, suffering just one defeat in the process, which has allowed them to move towards the top half of the division.

Celta's away form this season has been mixed, picking up 11 points from 11 matches, but Osasuna have actually lost five home games already this term, and the visitors will certainly believe that they have enough quality to cause plenty of problems in Monday night's affair.

Osasuna La Liga form:

D

L

D

D

L

W

Osasuna form (all competitions):

L

D

D

L

W

W

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

L

W

W

L

D

W

Team News

Osasuna will be without the services of Ruben Pena on Monday due to a leg injury, but the home side are otherwise in excellent shape ahead of the contest.

Head coach Arrasate would have been delighted with the performance of his team against Athletic, so it would not be a surprise to see the same starting XI take to the field for this match.

It is likely to be the same formation, meanwhile, with a 4-3-3 seeing Ezequiel Avila operating in a wide position to allow Ante Budimir to retain his position as the centre-forward.

As for Celta, Oscar Mingueza is out until later this month with a muscular problem, while Agustin Marchesin is a long-term absentee with a serious knee injury.

The visitors will also be missing Renato Tapia through suspension, but there are no fresh concerns from the three-goal success over Real Valladolid last time out.

Seferovic should continue alongside Iago Aspas in the final third of the field, while there will be another start for Veiga, who is believed to be attracting attention from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid due to his performances this season.

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Herrera; Moncayola, Aridane, D Garcia, Cruz; Torro, M Gomez, Oroz; Avila, Budimir, Ezzalzouli

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Villar; Mallo, Aidoo, U Nunez, Galan; Perez, Veiga, Beltran, De la Torre; Seferovic, Aspas

We say: Osasuna 1-1 Celta Vigo

Osasuna have not actually drawn a single home match in La Liga this season, winning six and losing five of their 11 games, but we have a feeling that the points could be shared here. The hosts will enter the match off the back of successive wins, but Celta were excellent against Real Valladolid, so a draw could be on the cards.

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