After finishing the previous season in seventh place, which earned them a spot in the Europa Conference League, Osasuna’s midweek exit from European competition at the hands of Club Brugge marked the end of their European adventure. Now, the team from Pamplona will shift their focus entirely to the domestic league, where they have shown promise in the 2023-24 La Liga season, garnering six out of nine available points in their first three fixtures.

Barcelona, who comfortably clinched the top spot in the previous La Liga season with a commanding 10-point lead over arch-rivals Real Madrid, has encountered a more turbulent journey in their title defense campaign. They kicked off the season with a goalless draw against Getafe, followed by a narrow 2-0 victory over Cadiz. Xavi’s squad had to dig deep in their most recent match, securing a thrilling 4-3 triumph against Villarreal in a seven-goal thriller.

The dramatic 2-2 draw in the second leg of the Europa Conference League playoff against Club Brugge midweek marked the third occasion in the last four matches that Osasuna conceded at least two goals. It’s worth noting that even Barcelona hasn’t appeared rock-solid at the back, as demonstrated in their recent league outing against Villarreal, where they needed four goals to secure their first away win of the season, ultimately prevailing 4-3.

When analyzing previous encounters between these teams at El Sadar, a trend emerges – an open and goal-rich style of football that often results in both teams finding the back of the net. Notably, both sides have scored in eight of the last 11 meetings at this venue, setting the stage for another exciting contest.