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Barcelona stormed their way back from a disappointing defeat at the hands of Athletic Bilbao in the opening La Liga fixture, as they notched up five goals against Real Betis in their second match, winning it 5-2. In the absence of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann took on the responsibility to lead the way for the Blaugrana with a brace in the first home game of the season. They would look to do the same once again when they take on Osasuna in their next match.
Osasuna, on the other hand, are in decent form themselves, as they held Eibar to a goalless draw in their last match. They have also won their opening La Liga fixture by a margin of 1-0 against Leganes. However, with Barcelona ready to keep their juggernaut rolling, it would not be an easy task for Osasuna to contain the reigning La Liga champions .
The odds are clearly in favour of the Catalan giants (1.82) according to BigPesa. The odds for a draw are 4.6, while the chances of a win for the home side are as low as 8.
Last meeting between the two sides
The last time when these two sides met in the Spanish top flight during the 2014/15 season, Barcelona ran riots at the Nou Camp, winning the match by a staggering 7-0 scoreline. Talisman Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick en route to the rout and Barcelona would look to get a similar result when they take on Osasuna. The hosts have earned a promotion back to the top flight at the end of the last term.
As per the odds on BigPesa, the game is expected to have at least 2-3 goals, with the odds standing at 1.96. The Blaugrana are favourites to score first at 1.31, which would be obvious with the quality that they have upfront.
A comfortable win for Barcelona even without Messi
Though it is still very much unsure whether Lionel Messi will return to the starting lineup for the La Liga champions, Antoine Griezmann is expected to lead Ernesto Valverde’s men rather effectively. The hosts would look to make the home advantage count, but it will be a daunting task for them.
BigPesa suggests that Antoine Griezmann (1.45) is the most likely scorer in the match. On the other hand, he tops the charts for being the first scorer as well at 3.45. Also, Carles Perez (1.92) and Rafinha (2.14) are the other likely scorers. With that being said, things are more or less set in favour of Barca and it will be interesting to see how Osasuna adapts to control Barcelona’s domination in the final third.
