Whilst Osasuna failed to score on all four occasions, keeping such elite opposition to two or fewer goals each time despite facing a total of 57 goal attempts is to be commended.
Osasuna
After their best ten-game start to a La Liga season in 15 years, Osasuna’s last four league outings were always going to be a stern test of their title aspirations. That’s because the quartet of clubs they most recently faced, and which they failed to beat, occupied the top four places in the table at the end of the last round. Whilst they failed to score on all four occasions, keeping such elite opposition to two or fewer goals each time despite facing a total of 57 goal attempts is to be commended. Upcoming games against struggling Elche and Levante will provide them with a crucial opportunity to reset their campaign ahead of a clash with Barcelona. But with one of the league’s worst win rates as pre-match favourites, they cannot afford any complacency here.
Elche
Elche have not defeated Osasuna in any competition since 2015/16 and don’t appear capable of doing so on this occasion after six La Liga games without a victory – their longest drought since April 2021. As a result, for the first time this La Liga season, they will start consecutive rounds in the relegation zone. Their three clean sheets this La Liga season were rewarded seven points, but ongoing defensive woes continue to place enormous pressure upon their attacking unit. Elche have conceded 2 goals in all but one of their six straight La Liga games without a win, with Real Betis last week condemning them to a season record when conceding the match opener in La Liga.
Captain David Garcia is one of two players to have scored in two Osasuna victories this La Liga season, whilst Lucas Boye has scored first in two of Elche’s last three La Liga away trips. The first half has not been the highest-scoring half in any of Osasuna’s last seven La Liga matches.