Osasuna vs Villarreal Predictions & Match Preview

Osasuna vs Villarreal predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as the Yellow Submarine head to El Sadar.

Osasuna vs Villarreal Preview

Villarreal travel to El Sadar this weekend as they look to quickly bounce back from a disappointing European exit on Thursday. Osasuna haven’t been great either in recent weeks but both sides could do with a win as they look to bolster their hopes of playing European football in 2023/24.

Osasuna have two potential paths into Europe, although neither will be easy. They have the 2nd Leg of their Copa del Rey Semi-Final against Athletic to come after the international break and they will defend a 1-0 advantage at San Mames. Meanwhile they are 8th in LaLiga heading into this matchday with 7th likely to be good enough for European qualification should the cup winner not come from their semi-final.

This match offers them the chance to close in on one of the sides immediately above them so it’s a really important one in the battle for Europa and Conference League qualification. Osasuna need to show a bit more than they have done of late though with just 1 win in their last 8 league games. Ironically, that came in a tough away match at Sevilla where they rested key players ahead of the 1st Leg of their Copa del Rey Semi.

Villarreal no longer have any cup distractions after they were surprisingly sent packing from the Conference League by an Anderlecht side that is sat in mid-table in the Belgian top flight. Villarreal created more than enough chances to win the tie but a 1-0 defeat at the Ceramica on Thursday ends their latest European adventure and adds a bit more pressure on Quique Setien to deliver over the coming weeks.

They are 7 points off the Champions League positions heading into this match and with 4th placed Real Sociedad at home to Elche this weekend, they really could do with winning this game. The Yellow Submarine have bounced back from a 4 game losing streak in LaLiga with 7 points from their last 3 but they have some tough fixtures coming up with La Real and Real Madrid their first two opponents after the international break.

Team News & Possible Lineups

Osasuna

Possible XI: Aitor – Cruz, Aridane, David Garcia, Vidal – Moi Gomez, Torro, Moncayola – Abde, Budimir, Chimy (4-3-3)

Coach: Jagoba Arrasate

Villarreal

Possible XI: Reina – Pedraza, Torres, Albiol, Foyth – Terrats, Parejo, Trigueros – Yeremi, Gerard Moreno, Chukwueze (4-3-3)

Coach: Quique Setien

Score Prediction: Osasuna 1-1 Villarreal

It’s tough to pick a winner here. Villarreal’s recent showings have been slightly better with a bit more quality in attack with Gerard Moreno fit again and Samu Chukwueze impressing. Osasuna are the sort of side who could frustrate them though and they’ll do well to leave here with more than a point.

PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.