Real Madrid vs Osasuna
Osasuna have put the whole La Liga on notice with their auspicious start to this season, but they’ll face their biggest challenge yet when they’ll visit Real Madrid at the Bernabeu this Sunday.
Los Rojillos are getting the job done thus far. As a result, they are currently fifth in the standings with 12 points, which is unusual considering they’ve always been at the bottom half.
Their opponents Real Madrid, on the other hand, look unstoppable. They haven’t lost or drawn a game across all competitions so far this season and they’re standing tall with 18 points here in the Spanish top-flight.
This is basically a David vs. Goliath matchup according to the pre-match SBOTOP betting odds, but Osasuna have shown before that they’re capable of making Real Madrid uncomfortable.
Talking Points
Karim Benzema to return for Real Madrid
Even if Real Madrid stayed perfect without Karim Benzema, the Frenchman’s return will no doubt still be celebrated since we know that he makes Los Blancos more formidable than they already are.
The 34-year-old was sidelined for a month after picking up a quad injury during their Champions League group stage match against Celtic. And with a packed schedule coming up, Carlo Ancelotti will have to manage his load moving forward.
The good news for Real Madrid is that they have a ton of depth. Fede Valverde is fresh from winning La Liga player of the month for September with his share of La Liga 2022 highlights, while Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have done well to fill in for their French talisman, scoring eight goals total and dishing out four assists.
The only bad news for Real Madrid this weekend is the absence of veteran playmaker Luka Modric since he returned from international duty with a hip knock. The evergreen Croatian will miss this game as well as their upcoming Champions League group stage match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
With him sidelined, Dani Ceballos, Toni Kroos, and Aurelien Tchouameni should continue to man the midfield.
As always at the back, Thibaut Courtois remains the man between the sticks and he’ll be covered by David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, and Eder Militao.
Osasuna’s backline getting the job done
Los Rojillos have been renowned for their low-scoring affairs this season, so they’ll probably stick to the same defencive formula against Los Blancos.
Osasuna have already recorded three clean sheets in their first six games. Also, it’s worth noting that they’ve managed to hold Real Madrid to two 0-0 draws in the last two seasons.
Centre-backs David and Unai Garcia aren’t afraid to get into it against the league’s top attackers as they’ve already combined for seven yellow cards this term, and they’ll have their hands full once again.
Jagoba Arrasate will have to cope without their top scorer Chimy Avila since he was red carded during their defeat to Getafe in the last time out. Aimar Oroz and Ruben Garcia will have to pick up the slack for the meantime, while Ante Budimir will be keen to open his scoring account this season.
History
Real Madrid haven’t lost in any of their last 14 matches against Osasuna in La Liga (W10, D4), which is their longest unbeaten run against them in the top-flight. Their last loss to them was a 1-0 result back in January 2011.
Los Blancos also haven’t lost to Los Rojillos in their last 14 league games at home (W12, D2) since a 3-0 defeat in April 2004. Carlo Ancelotti’s side hasn’t conceded a goal too in their last three.
Should the reigning champions win on Sunday, it would be the fourth time in their La Liga history that they’ve won all of their first seven league games of the season. They’ve done this particular feat in 1961/62, 1968/69, and 1987/88.
With 12 points in their first six league games (W4, L2), Osasuna matched their best start to a campaign since 2005/06.
Betting Tip
It’s not surprising that Real Madrid are backed by the La Liga 2022 odds. For this game, they’re priced at 1.33, while Osasuna are huge underdogs at 8.75 and a draw is installed at 5.00 in the 1X2 market.
Osasuna would prefer to turn this into another low-scoring affair, so Under 2.75 @ 1.75 is our recommendation, although Real Madrid should win in the end given their collective firepower. The return of Karim Benzema helps Los Blancos continue their perfect start to their campaign, but they cannot take their visitors lightly by any means.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
