The Supercopa de Espana heads to Saudi Arabia this week, with four teams battling for the trophy. On Thursday, it’s the first leg of the semi-final between Barcelona and Osasuna.
As it stands, third-placed Barca lead twelfth-placed Osasuna by 19 points in the La Liga table, although both sides have struggled for consistency this season.
🏃 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁Pedri takes part in some of the training session 🫶 pic.twitter.com/OoTJINdda6— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 8, 2024
🏃 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁Pedri takes part in some of the training session 🫶 pic.twitter.com/OoTJINdda6
The Supercopa de Espana gives both teams the chance to forget about their La Liga commitments and compete for a piece of silverware in the Middles East.
Barcelona enter Thursday’s clash on the back of a 3-2 victory over Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, although they were pushed all the way by their lower-league opponents.
Despite racking up 73% possession and 24 attempts, Xavi’s men conceded 14 shots, with Robert Lewandowski scoring a late penalty to wrap things up.
Thanks to La Liga victories over Almeria and Las Palmas, Barca are currently enjoying a three-game winning streak.
That said, Xavi’s side have been far from convincing of late, as both teams have scored in nine of their previous 10 matches across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Osasuna required extra time to get past Castellon in the Copa del Rey on Sunday, with Jose Arnaiz scoring the game’s only goal in the 108th minute.
Following 1-0 victories over Rayo Vallecano and Almeria, Osasuna have now won three of their previous four encounters across all competitions.
Osasuna failed to win six consecutive games between late October and mid-December, recording three draws and three losses to slide down the La Liga table.
In terms of the bigger picture, Osasuna have managed to win just seven of their 22 matches this season, highlighting their fall from grace.
Head-to-head: Barcelona defeated Osasuna 2-1 in La Liga back in September, meaning they have won each of their last four games in this fixture.
To make matters worse for Osasuna, they have only managed to win one of their previous 15 meetings with Barca across all competitions.
Team news: Barcelona’s injury list contains Marcos Alonso, Gavi, Inigo Martinez, Pedri, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Joao Cancelo.
On the flip side, Osasuna could be without Johan Mojica on Thursday, as the Colombian defender has missed the previous five games with a knee problem.
Given that Barcelona have lost just one of their last 15 meetings with Osasuna, Xavi’s men should notch a healthy first-leg lead.
Forebet predicts that both teams will find the back of the net on Thursday, but Barca are expected to score over 2.5 goals on their way to victory.