Barcelona take on Osasuna in the second Supercopa de Espana semi-final on Thursday night as they aim to retain their crown.
An emphatic victory for the Catalans over Real Madrid in this competition last season set the tone for their eventual La Liga title triumph, although their title defence has so far been a pretty shoddy one. Xavi’s side depart for Saudi Arabia seven points adrift of the current joint leaders.
The Catalans take on a middling Osasuna side who qualified for this four-team competition by virtue of their Copa del Rey run last term. Los Rojillos were eventually downed by Rodrygo and Real Madrid after reaching the final for the second time in the club’s history. Nevertheless, Jagoba Arrasate’s side are huge underdogs to taste silverware in the Kingdom.
Thursday’s winner will take on one of the Madrid giants in Sunday’s final.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Barca’s Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Osasuna.
Barcelona vs Osasuna H2H Record (Last Five Games)
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Barca’s injury woes worsened at the start of 2024 when Joao Cancelo picked up a knee injury in the last-gasp win over Las Palmas.
The dynamic full-back has been included in the squad for Thursday’s game, as have Pedri and Inigo Martinez. Yet, there are doubts over whether any of these stars will feature in Saudi Arabia.
Marcos Alonso and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are recovering from back injuries, while Gavi is out for the remainder of the season. Vitor Roque should once again earn minutes off the bench.
Barca predicted lineup vs Osasuna (4-3-3): Pena; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; De Jong, Gundogan, Fermin; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix.
Last season’s Copa del Rey runners-up have few concerns on the injury front.
Johan Mojica remains out of action with a ligament injury, but he’s expected to return to the pitch before the end of the season.
Osasuna predicted lineup vs Barca (4-3-3): Herrera; Areso, Catena, D. Garcia, Pena; Munoz, Moncayola, Oroz; Avila, Budimir, Gomez.
Very little has come easy for Barcelona this season, and that was the case when these two sides met for the first time this season. Barca eventually prevailed 2-1 after Osasuna were reduced to ten men in the closing stages of the September league game.
Just three Spanish clubs have conceded more league goals than Osasuna this season, with Arrasate’s side particularly porous on the road. Osasuna’s only victory away from home since the first weekend of October was against third-tier Castellon in the Copa del Rey.
Thus, while Xavi’s Barca have been struggling after they were stunned by Girona before Christmas, they could enjoy a more comfortable outing on Thursday and set up a blockbuster final.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna
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90Mins
