Preview: Osasuna vs. Rayo Vallecano - prediction, team news, lineups

Osasuna, who are 14th in the La Liga table, are winless in their last six league matches, while 10th-placed Rayo have not triumphed at this level since October 22.

Match preview

Osasuna finished seventh in La Liga last season, in addition to reaching the Copa del Rey final, but it has been a disappointing 2023-24 campaign to date for the club.

Los Rojillos boast a record of four wins, four draws and eight defeats from their 16 league matches this season, with a total of 16 points leaving them in 14th spot in the table heading into the next set of fixtures.

Osasuna have not won in the league since October 20, when they recorded a 2-0 victory over Granada, losing three and drawing three of their last six La Liga fixtures.

Jagoba Arrasate's side have actually shared the points in three of their last four league matches, drawing with Las Palmas, Real Sociedad and Cadiz, with their last loss proving to be a 3-1 reverse at Villarreal on November 26.

Osasuna's recent record against Rayo should hand them confidence heading into this match, meanwhile, as they have won three of their last four games with the capital side in Spain's top flight, including a 2-1 success in the corresponding match during the 2023-24 campaign.

Rayo, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a goalless draw with Celta Vigo on Monday evening, which stretched their winless run in Spain's top flight to six matches.

Francisco's side boast a record of four wins, eight draws and four defeats from their 16 league matches this season, which has left them in 10th position in the table on 20 points.

Rayo have been the draw specialists in the league this season alongside Real Betis and Mallorca, and the fact that they have only won four times in 2023-24 but are up in 10th is somewhat of a surprise.

Los Franjirrojos have finished 12th and 11th in their last two campaigns back at this level of football, and it would not be a surprise to see them end this season in a similar position, with a push towards the top seven likely to be beyond them due to their lack of goals.

Indeed, the capital side have only netted 16 times in Spain's top flight this season, with their leading goalscorer proving to be Alvaro Garcia on four.

Osasuna La Liga form:

L

L

D

L

D

D

Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:

D

D

L

D

L

D

Rayo Vallecano form (all competitions):

D

L

D

L

W

D

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Team News

Osasuna will be missing three players through injury on Friday, with Johan Mojica, Ruben Pena and Kike Barja unavailable for selection.

The hosts will be boosted by the return of Catena following a suspension, though, and the defender is expected to come back into the starting side for this contest.

Head coach Arrasate has plenty of options for change in the forward areas, but Ante Budimir is again a certain starter, with a strong campaign on a personal level seeing him already manage eight goals in Spain's top flight.

Rayo boss Francisco, meanwhile, is trying to find the right formula in the attacking areas, with Raul de Tomas and Sergio Camello both yet to score in the league this season, while Jorge de Frutos has only managed one goal.

Bebe actually has two league goals to his name in 2023-24, with Radamel Falcao on one, although neither are expected to be considered for starts in this match.

Alfonso Espino is back from a suspension and will come back into the side on Friday, while De Frutos could also be introduced, with De Tomas set to lead the line for the visitors, who have no injury problems.

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Herrera; Areso, Catena, D Garcia, Cruz; Oroz, Torro, M Gomez; Ruben Garcia, Budimir, Avila

Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:

Dimitrievski; Balliu, Mumin, Lejeune, Espino; U Lopez, Valentin; Palazon, De Frutos, A Garcia; De Tomas

We say: Osasuna 0-0 Rayo Vallecano

Neither side are winning in La Liga at the moment, and we are therefore finding it difficult to back either with any real confidence here. It would not be a surprise to see either a home or an away victory, but we are expecting the points to be shared in a goalless draw on Friday night.

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