Osasuna vs Rayo Vallecano Prediction: Stalemate on cards at El Sadar?

One of the poorest teams at home in La Liga meets a side with one of the best away records on Friday night (KO, 20:00), as Osasuna entertain Rayo Vallecano at Estadio El Sadar.

Osasuna are currently sat in 14th, just four points behind their next opponents, but that's largely down to their away form. At El Sadar, the Reds have won just once in eight games, collecting six points - only Almeria (three) and Celta Vigo (four) have taken fewer at home.

Rayo, meanwhile, have proven to be good travellers this term, losing just twice in eight away matches. Their tally of 12 points on the road is only beaten by three clubs - Girona (22), Real Madrid (20), and Barcelona (13).

Team News

Osasuna will be without three first-team players on Friday in Johan Mojica, Kike Barja and Ruben Pena, but they will be able to welcome back defender Alejandro Catena after he missed last Sunday's 1-1 draw at Cadiz through suspension.

The visitors will also benefit from a defender returning from a ban, with Alfonso Espino available for selection again. Forward Oscar Trejo, though, could miss out after being substituted at half-time of Monday's 0-0 draw with Celta Vigo. The 35-year-old was absent from team training on Wednesday.

Former Manchester United forwards Radamel Falcao and Bebe are options to start in attack after both came off the bench earlier in the week.

Match Odds

Osasuna are favourites at 23/20 to emerge victorious at home, with a win for the visitors priced at 13/5. Neither of these clubs has won in their last six La Liga matches, and it's 11/5 for a draw on Friday.

Both teams to score has landed in Osasuna's last six games and it's 10/11 for them to make it seven in a row, while it's 6/5 for over 2.5 goals.

Draw or Rayo Vallecano and under 2.5 goals @ 6/4

Rayo's only defeats away from home this season have been against Athletic Club and Real Betis, two sides currently in the top seven of La Liga.

Osasuna, on the other hand, have given their fans little to cheer about at El Sadar, only managing to beat Granada, who now sit second-bottom of the league.

The likely absences of Mojica and Pena also robs them of their first-choice full-back pairing, so they're not going into this one at full strength.

It's been a long time without a win in La Liga for Rayo but they have at least drawn four of the six games they have failed to pick up three points in, showing a resilience in the side. That's been particularly evident in tough fixtures versus Real Madrid, Barcelona and Real Sociedad - three of the best teams in the division - all of whom they have avoided defeat against.

Rayo have also been difficult to break down on the road - six of their eight away games have seen fewer than three goals - and that's not good news for Osasuna, who have only scored seven goals in eight at home. In fact, only Real Mallorca (7/8) have witnessed more games at home with fewer than three goals than Osasuna (6/8).

Correct score - 1-1 @ 11/2

This is a scoreline that Osasuna fans have become all too familiar with over the past month. It's landed in three of their previous four matches, including their last two at home.

Meanwhile, no club has drawn more games in La Liga this season than Rayo, who have seen half (8/16) of them end in a stalemate. A quarter of that total (2/8) have finished 1-1, and that looks like a potential scoreline for Friday's fixture with both sides far from prolific in front of goal.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.