Barcelona vs Osasuna Prediction: Barca to win in low-scoring encounter

Less than 48hours after the South American World Cup Qualifiers ended, La Liga returns with the rearranged game involving Barcelona and Osasuna. LaLigaTV have the live broadcast in the UK with kick-off scheduled for 20:00.

Mark Sochon as per usual is in situ with the Betfred Insights look at this one. He has a full match preview ready for you and two key Barcelona vs Osasuna Predictions that you can bet on with us at Betfred...

*You can check out all of the Football Odds we offer over at betfred.com

Not even 48 hours on from the last of the international matches, La Liga is back on Thursday night with Barcelona entertaining Osasuna at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

This game was scheduled to take place earlier this month, but the sudden death of Barça's first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia led to a late postponement. 

Despite the protests of both clubs, La Liga has gone ahead with its plan to reschedule the game on a date that will make it very difficult for some international players to play a full part. 

There was a full round of World Cup qualifiers in South America on Tuesday night, with Barça winger Raphinha playing the full 90 minutes in Argentina for Brazil, in a fixture that kicked off in the early hours of Wednesday morning Spanish time. Ronald Araújo has also had to travel back from Bolivia, and neither are expected to feature in this game. 

Although less severely, Osasuna's preparations would also have been impacted by the internationals, with their defensive regular Enzo Boyomo part of the Cameroon squad that took on Libya in a World Cup qualifier in Yaoundé on Tuesday. 

That all contributes to a slightly chaotic and rushed build-up to a game which will see Osasuna aiming to complete the double over Barça, following a thrilling 4-2 win earlier in the season at El Sadar.

That defeat back in late September ended a 100% start for Hansi Flick in La Liga. It was the first time we really saw the German take some risks with his team selection, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha both rested, but the plan backfired and Flick continued to struggle to find the right balance in terms of keeping players fresh in the latter stages of 2024. 

Since the turn of the year however, that hasn't really been an issue. Barça came out strong following the winter break and they're unbeaten in 18 matches in 2025, winning 15 of them, with talk of a potential treble heating up following a vital 4-2 win away to title rivals Atlético Madrid last time out. 

They weren't at their best for much of that game, and trailed by two goals heading into the final 20 minutes, but a late blitz saw the Catalan giants blow Atleti away, with Robert Lewandowski's crisp finish sparking a brilliant comeback victory, sealed by two goals from substitute Ferran Torres and a deflected effort from Yamal. 

That game was barely a week and a half ago, and Osasuna will be hoping to take advantage of any weariness following a busy international break for much of the Barça squad. 

By contrast, there are only two non-Spanish players in the Osasuna first team set-up, with star striker Ante Budimir the most heavily involved during the internationals, as the 33-year-old started both games for Croatia in their Nations League tie against France. 

Only Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappé can better Budimir's return of 15 goals in La Liga this term. That accounts for a whopping 45% of Osasuna's total, and given the presence of one of the division's most clinical marksmen, not to mention how well they played against Barcelona back in the autumn, it's perhaps surprising that the Pamplona-based side aren't doing slightly better. 

They slipped to 13th as a result of their 2-1 home defeat against Getafe last time out. Vicente Moreno's side have only won one of their last 15 in La Liga, but they have drawn nine times over that period. They've not lost by more than a single goal since a 4-0 defeat at the Bernabéu in the very first of those 15 games, so this is still a game that could prove tricky for the home team, particularly given the unusual timing of it. 

Team News: 

All eyes will be on the Barça teamsheet on Thursday evening, with Flick already confirming that Raphinha and Araújo will be held back until Sunday's clash with Girona. 

The Barça boss may also consider starting with Ferran rather than Lewandowski up front, after the 36-year-old featured in World Cup qualifiers for Poland on Friday and Monday. 

There has also been a fresh injury setback for Barcelona, with midfielder Marc Casadó joining Marc-André ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen and Marc Bernal on the sidelines. Defender Pau Cubarsí is also a minor doubt for this game, so Eric García should get the nod at centre-back alongside Íñigo Martínez. 

Osasuna have a couple of significant absentees of their own. Midfield regular Lucas Torró is suspended, while winger Bryan Zaragoza, who scored and assisted in the reverse fixture, misses out through injury. 

Otherwise, Moreno should have a full squad to choose from, although he'll need to make a call on whether to start Boyomo and Budimir following their international commitments. 

Barcelona vs Osasuna Odds

Despite the difficulties presented by this game taking place so soon after a busy international break, Barcelona are still the clear favourites to win it at 2/7. You can back the Draw at 5/1, while Osasuna are on offer at 17/2 to complete a famous double. 

If you're still expecting the hosts to take care of business with few issues, you can back Barcelona -1.00 Handicap at 7/10, while they are priced at 7/4 with a -2.00 Handicap. Barça and Over 3.5 goals is available at 6/5. 

Alternatively, you can get odds of 13/5 for Osasuna or Draw in the Double Chance market. You can also back the visitors to win either half at 11/4, while Over 0.5 away team goals is on offer at 4/7. 

With so much uncertainty surrounding who will start this game, punters will need to tread carefully in the goalscorer markets. Lamine Yamal looks the most likely of the home team's regular front three to start, and he's priced at 6/1 to score first and 6/4 to score anytime. 

Following his brace at the Estadio Metropolitano, Ferran could also have a significant role to play, and he's on offer at 1/1 to score anytime. From a visiting perspective, Budimir is priced at 7/4 to continue his fine season by scoring in this game. 

Bet 1 - Barcelona win & Under 3.5 goals @ 6/4 

Osasuna have switched to a back five at times this season in the tougher games, including for their visit to Atlético Madrid in January when they had just one shot on target and no corners, but only lost a tight game 1-0. 

A repeat set-up looks highly likely here, especially given how Barcelona have at times struggled to break down teams that drop very deep and defend in numbers at the Estadi Olímpic. 

Despite a very impressive overall goalscoring record this term, Barça have scored one or fewer goals in five of their last 11 home games in all competitions. With key man Raphinha out, this may not be a game that the Catalans run away with, and I'm backing Barcelona to win and Under 3.5 goals at 6/4. 

Bet 2 - Over 6.5 Barcelona corners @ 4/5 

Osasuna's ability to break and give their defence a breather is severely hampered by the absence of Bryan Zaragoza.   

He's the one player they have that boasts the kind of raw pace and skill that could have posed problems on the counter attack, and without him it's likely we'll see the visitors do a lot of defending in this game, without making many meaningful breaks into opposition territory. 

The home corner count should rise quickly and Flick's side are averaging 8.08 corners per home game in La Liga this term. With Osasuna giving up 6.75 corners per game on average when they play away, I like the look of Over 6.5 Barcelona corners at 4/5 here.