Sevilla vs Osasuna
Sevilla vs Osasuna Preview
Monday night football at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, and this one has the feel of a game neither side can afford to mess up. Sevilla are sitting sixth in La Liga and have gone three league games without a win. Osasuna, meanwhile, have a new manager bounce going and are desperate to prove last weekend’s performance wasn’t a one-off. Two clubs with very different problems right now, colliding at the worst possible time for the hosts.
Sevilla’s recent struggles need putting in context — all three of their league defeats this season have come against Barcelona and Real Madrid, which is hardly a criminal record. But shipping three goals in each of their last three matches is a pattern that will concern Luis Garcia Plaza regardless of who the opposition was. The 4-1 hammering at the Bernabeu last Sunday, where Manu Bueno’s late strike was little more than a consolation, was the kind of afternoon that leaves a mark on a squad’s confidence heading into the working week.
Osasuna arrive with momentum behind them after a clean sheet and a 2-0 win over Racing Santander in Jagoba Arrasate’s first game back in the dugout. New manager bounce or not, that result offered real promise. The question is whether they can replicate it on the road, where they have conceded at least four goals in each of their last three away outings. That is an alarming away record, and the Pizjuan is not exactly the easiest place to go and tighten up defensively.
Sevilla vs Osasuna Form
Sevilla have won four, drawn two and lost three of their nine league games this term. Strip out the matches against the top three and this is a side that has been quietly solid, including back-to-back wins to nil before the current wobble kicked in. The concerning thing is not so much the defeats themselves but the goals they have been giving up. Three goals conceded against Barcelona at home, three at Levante in a 3-3 draw, four at Real Madrid. Whatever defensive structure Plaza has been working with, it has leaked badly over the last month.
The one bit of good news for Sevilla going into this is that they have scored in all nine of their league games so far this season. That is real consistency up front, even if they have only managed more than one goal in one of their four home games. Against a side that has been vulnerable on the road, there is every chance they find the net here. The task is making sure Osasuna do not punish them at the other end, as they have done to every away side they have faced recently.
Osasuna had been struggling badly before Arrasate walked back through the door. One point from five games under Luis Miguel Ramis told its own story. But the response in that 2-0 win over Racing was exactly what the club needed — Ante Budimir converting from the spot, Asier Osambela adding a late second, and the backline keeping a clean sheet for the first time since August. Whether that defensive organisation holds away from home against a more dangerous attack than Racing’s is the big question of the evening.
Sevilla vs Osasuna Head to Head
Jagoba Arrasate’s personal record against Sevilla is one of the most striking stats heading into this game. He is unbeaten in each of his last 10 competitive managerial meetings with them, including a league double when he was at Mallorca last season. That is the kind of run that managers do not forget, and you can bet his players know about it too. It adds a psychological edge to an already intriguing contest.
From Sevilla’s perspective, they did manage to end a three-game winless run in home head-to-heads last season, with Ruben Vargas netting a decisive penalty in a 1-0 win over Osasuna. It was tight, it was nervy, and one goal was enough. Given the way both sides are set up defensively and the form patterns we are seeing, there is every reason to think this one stays close again.
Sevilla vs Osasuna Lineups
Sevilla are without Marcao, Miguel Sierra and Jon Guridi through injury, which is a meaningful chunk of their squad options. The better news for Garcia Plaza is that Giorgi Kochorashvili is back in contention after missing the Real Madrid defeat with a calf problem, and Isaac Romero is back in the squad after suspension. Romero is likely to start on the bench, though, rather than going straight back into the XI. Expect Vlachodimos in goal, with Vargas and Kochorashvili featuring in a midfield and attack shaped by the returning bodies.
Arrasate is likely to stick with the same lineup that worked so well against Racing, giving continuity and rewarding the players who delivered on his return. Jorge Herrando, Romain Del Castillo and Aimor Oroz are all sidelined with muscle issues, so there is some disruption to manage. But Budimir leads the line and that is the key name to watch. He has scored in his last two La Liga appearances at the Pizjuan, and he comes in having found the net in three consecutive league games. The gaffer will be building this Osasuna attack around him.
Sevilla vs Osasuna Tactics
Sevilla under Garcia Plaza tend to set up in a way that prioritises pressing high and getting wide players involved, which is why Vargas and Correia are important to how they attack. The problem is that pressing high comes with risk when the defensive shape behind it is not functioning well — and right now, the back four has been caught out repeatedly. Against Osasuna’s direct play and Budimir’s physicality in the box, that could be a problem again. Plaza needs his side to hold a better defensive line than they have managed in recent weeks.
Osasuna under Arrasate are compact, hard to play through and content to absorb pressure before hitting on the counter. That 2-0 win over Racing showed exactly that — they restricted their opponents to one shot on target and executed their transitions efficiently. The concern is that Sevilla are a different proposition to Racing Santander, and the hosts will create chances. If Osasuna are going to get anything here, they need that same defensive discipline and they will need Budimir to hold the ball up and give them an out. Given how leaky Sevilla have been, though, Osasuna will smell an opportunity to nick something if they keep it tight in the first half.
Sevilla vs Osasuna Prediction and Betting Tips
This sets up as a low-scoring, tight affair. Sevilla have only netted more than once in one of their four home games this season, and Osasuna showed last weekend that they can be hard to break down when they are properly organised. The hosts will be desperate to respond after recent results, but their defensive vulnerabilities mean Osasuna always carry a threat, particularly through Budimir. A draw feels like a fair reflection of where both clubs are right now — Sevilla not quite clinical enough at home to punish a better-organised Osasuna side, and Osasuna not quite reliable enough away to sneak all three points.
The tip is the draw. Arrasate’s remarkable unbeaten record against Sevilla adds weight to it, and the form of both sides points toward a cagey game that ends level. Back the draw in the Match Result market.