Osasuna vs Barcelona Prediction: Ante Budimir to score anytime

Disney+ hosts the live La Liga match every Saturday night and this week top-of-the-table Barcelona take on Osasuna with the title looming into sight. Kick-off is set for 8PM.

Our Spanish Football expert previews the action and gives us his top two Osasuna vs Barcelona Predictions plus all the team news, predicted line-ups and stats...

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Barcelona need just five more points to win La Liga for the second season running. They would seal the deal this weekend if they win at Osasuna and Real Madrid drop points on Sunday against Espanyol. 

In truth, many Barça fans would prefer it if the race continues to next Sunday when their team would have the opportunity to clinch the title at Camp Nou in El Clásico. That would be some way to round off their first season back at their redeveloped home, but Hansi Flick is likely to take a different stance. 

The German will want to wrap this up as quickly as possible, and they took a huge step towards that last weekend. Away to Getafe, where they'd failed to win since 2019, the Catalans finally triumphed on their bogey ground again. 

A brilliant assist from Pedri set up Fermín López for the opener, while Marcus Rashford came off the bench to score the second on the break. Flick's decision not to start the Englishman once more, despite the absences of both Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, raised one or two eyebrows. It remains unclear whether the 28-year-old will be at Barcelona again next season. 

The final weeks of the campaign will offer opportunities for a number of squad players to show why they should be part of the first-team setup moving forward. Roony Bardghji should get a run of games on the right flank as a result of Yamal's injury, while Ferran Torres could do with a strong end to the season, with the Catalan giants likely to be in the market for a striker this summer. 

Victory at El Sadar is certainly no foregone conclusion for the league leaders. They were beaten 4-2 on this ground last season, with Osasuna outstanding on that occasion. 

The mid-table regulars have spent much of this campaign hovering between the relegation scrap and the battle for European places. Heading into their home game against Sevilla last weekend that was still the case, but a deserved 2-1 comeback victory over the Andalusians propelled them onto 42 points. 

That should be enough for safety, and Los Rojillos can now focus on trying to make a late charge for either a Europa League or Conference League place. That may not be beyond them, but a host of teams are currently bunched closely together with similar aspirations. 

Osasuna have a couple of aces in their pack. Ante Budimir is having another excellent season in front of goal. The Croatian striker has netted 16 times in 32 league outings. Only Kylian Mbappé and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi can better that return in the Spanish top flight. 

Víctor Muñoz is also having a fine debut campaign in Pamplona. The ex-Real Madrid man is asking real questions of defenders with his pace, and he has also managed to score five league goals. However, he's not expected to play any part in this match due to an injury, which will be a relief to the visiting backline. 

*You can check out all of our Football Odds over on betfred.com

Team News: 

Aside from Muñoz, Osasuna should be at full strength. Iker Benito is available again following a long-term injury, but is only likely to make the bench. 

Alessio Lisci is normally really consistent with his starting lineups, so few surprises are expected here. Budimir should lead the line once more, with Raúl Moro and Rubén García expected to offer the wide threat. 

As for Barcelona, Flick will again have to cope without Yamal, who won't feature again in La Liga this term. Andreas Christensen is rated doubtful, but Raphinha and Marc Bernal should both be fit enough to make the bench following injuries. 

Jules Koundé's suspension will also spark a change at right-back. The versatile Eric García is expected to be deployed in that role. Ferran and Robert Lewandowski once again find themselves competing for one place up front. 

Match Odds: 

Barcelona are the 8/11 favourites to take another step towards the title with a victory at El Sadar. You can back the Draw at 16/5, while Osasuna are priced at 16/5 to win this fixture for the second season running. 

If you like the look of the home attack, Lisci's side are given a 7/4 chance of scoring over 1.5 goals. You can also back Osasuna to win and Both teams to score at 11/2. A repeat of last term's 4-2 scoreline in favour of Los Rojillos is priced at 80/1. 

Alternatively, you can back Barcelona to win to nil at 23/10. The visitors are given a 7/4 chance of scoring over 2.5 goals, while they're priced at 16/5 to win both halves. 

Flick will be hoping Pedri can pull the strings in midfield again. He is priced at 7/2 to assist a goal, while you can back the Spain international to score anytime at 9/2. Fermín is on offer at 2/1 in the same market. 

From a home perspective, Ante Budimir is available at 4/1 to net the game's first goal, while he is priced at 5/1 to score a header.

*You can place a bet on this match and check out all of our Osasuna vs Barcelona Odds over on betfred.com

Bet 1 - Ante Budimir to score anytime @ 6/5 

Having blossomed in the latter half of his career, Budimir has developed into one of La Liga's most dangerous strikers. He has netted 54 times in the Spanish top flight across the last three seasons. A strong finish could yet see the Croatian surpass his 21-goal haul from the 2024/25 campaign. 

His physicality and aerial threat should see him ask questions of a Barcelona defence that isn't particularly well blessed in either of those departments. 

Having netted 10 times in his previous 15 appearances for club and country, Budimir is certainly the form striker from either of these sides. He bagged a brace in this fixture last term, and I'm backing Budimir to score again this Saturday at odds of 6/5. 

Bet 2 - Over 2.5 goals & Fermín López 2+ shots @ 20/21 

This is a fixture that has the potential to serve up goals. Osasuna won't be afraid to take the game to the league leaders and they've scored at least once in all of their home matches this term. 72% of their goals in La Liga have come at El Sadar. 

With Pedri looking back to his best at Getafe a week ago, there was good service for the more advanced players in the visiting team. He was quick to find the energetic Fermín, who makes lots of bright runs, and led the shot count with three attempts at the Coliseum. 

The 22-year-old has already netted 13 times in all competitions this season, while he's averaging 2.2 shots per game in the Spanish top flight. That's despite 11 of his 27 league appearances coming off the bench. 

In what should be a watchable encounter in Pamplona, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Over 2.5 goals and Fermín to have 2+ shots at 20/21. 

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...

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