Barcelona vs Osasuna Prediction 31.01.2024

• Competition: Spain &— LaLiga
• Date: Wednesday, 31st January 2024
• Kickoff: 18:00 UK / 19.00 CET
• Venue: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys (Barcelona)

Barcelona, seeking redemption after their previous disastrous match, will aim to please their loyal fans this Wednesday. They will be hosting mid-table team Osasuna at their temporary base, Estadi de Montjuic.

Barcelona vs Osasuna Betting Tips: Over 2.5

At the beginning of the new year, the Catalan club was in contention for silverware on four different fronts. However, within less than a month, their chances of winning three titles had dwindled. Their capacity to pose a significant challenge in the Champions League is now questionable. To secure a quarterfinal spot, they must defeat Serie A champions Napoli.

After a 1-4 defeat by Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final in mid-January, Barcelona began experiencing a slew of troubles. They were first eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao following a 2-4 defeat in extra time. Subsequently, they practically gave up the LaLiga title after a humiliating 3-5 loss to Villarreal, which expanded their gap with their main rivals to an unassailable ten points.

The dressing room atmosphere of the Catalan team is evidently chaotic, particularly since coach Xavi has conceded to the pressure from disgruntled fans and announced his departure at the end of the season. However, until then, he must make additional efforts to prevent his team from sinking into further turmoil.

As their domestic title defense seems to be slipping away, being 11 points behind Girona at the top of LaLiga, and with the potential danger of falling out of the top four, due to fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao hot on their heels, the blue and red team will be going all out to secure maximum points in the upcoming midweek match.

The struggling Catalan giants, Barcelona, seem likely to secure all three points, as Osasuna appears to pose little challenge. This assumption is based on Barcelona’s track record, having won seven out of their last eight matches against Osasuna. Two of these victories happened in this season, including a solid 2-0 triumph in the Supercopa semi-finals in January.

However, with Xavi’s team playing, we could see another energetic and engaging match. It’s clear that Barcelona’s defense is not functioning properly, as they’ve had to retrieve the ball from their own goal 16 times in their last five competitive matches, allowing at least four goals in three of those games.

The Pamplona team will look to capitalize on the chance to worsen the situation for their regular adversaries by avenging the two losses they’ve suffered. This comes as they head to Catalonia following a strong start to 2024, with consecutive home victories over Almeria and Getafe and securing a crucial point in a 1-1 draw against Sevilla on Sunday.

Facing a Barcelona side conceding goals in abundance, Osasuna will, at the very least, fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet after improving their attacking productivity lately, finding the back of the net in 10 straight league matches. Despite the hardships they are going through, we believe that the angry Barcelona will mount a strong response to consecutive humiliations with three much-needed points in an open showdown.