Struggling Almeria will hope to claim their first La Liga win of the season when they travel to El Sadar for Thursday's clash with Osasuna.
While the visitors are propping up the La Liga table, their opponents start the new year in 12th position with 19 points to their name.
Match preview
© Reuters
After finishing in seventh place last term, Osasuna are unlikely to replicate that feat this season, with nine points separating them from the top seven.
Los Rojillos have ultimately struggled for consistency during the current campaign, having won five, drawn four and lost nine of their 18 matches this season.
The most recent of those five victories took place in their previous home game against Rayo Vallecano on December 15, but they could not back up that result in their final match of 2023, as they fell to a 3-2 defeat in their away meeting with Mallorca.
After losing four of their last five away games (D1), Osasuna may be looking forward to returning to the home comforts of El Sadar, where they have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent times, with their last five home matches producing two wins, two draws and one loss.
Osasuna boss Jagoba Arrasate will still want to see his side offer a greater attacking threat in front of their own supporters after seeing his team score just eight goals in their nine home games this season.
© Reuters
Almeria will hope that 2024 will bring a significant upturn in fortunes after mustering just five points from their 18 league games, leaving them 10 points adrift of safety ahead of matchday 19.
Despite finishing the calendar year with a loss to Barcelona, the basement side may have taken confidence from the fact that they made the reigning La Liga champions work hard for the three points.
They fought back on two occasions thanks to goals from Leo Baptistao and Edgar Gonzalez, before Sergi Roberto netted his second goal of the game in the 83rd minute to condemn Almeria to a narrow 3-2 defeat at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
While they may have ran the Catalan giants close, the result represented Almeria's ninth consecutive away defeat in all competitions.
Having failed to win any of their 21 league matches since beating Mallorca in May, their hopes of ending that barren spell on Thursday will be tempered by their recent head-to-head record, with their last six meetings across the first and second tier all ending in defeat.
- D
- L
- D
- D
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Arrasate has the majority of his Osasuna squad available, but he is still unable to call upon left-back Johan Mojica due to a knee injury.
Ruben Garcia could come back into the side after recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the final match of 2023.
Chimy Avila is also in contention to start Thursday's contest despite dropping down to the bench for the defeat to Mallorca.
As for the visitors, Gaizka Garitano remains without the services of Ibrahima Kone and Luis Suarez, who are recovering from ankle and leg injuries respectively.
Martin Svidersky is unlikely to return in time for Thursday's fixture, while Lucas Robertone and Gonzalo Melero are both regarded as doubts.
Guinea-Bissau pair Houboulang Mendes and Marciano Sanco as well as Ghana's Iddrisu Baba are away with their national sides preparing for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, D. Garcia, Cruz, Pena; Ibanez, Torro, Gomez; Avila, R. Garcia, Budimir
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Maximiano; Chumi, Montes, Gonzalez; Pozo, Lopy, Puigmal, Akieme; Arribas, Embarba, Baptistao
We say: Osasuna 2-1 Almeria
Although Osasuna have struggled to consistently pick up wins this season, they will go into Thursday's contest as the favourites to claim all three points.
Los Rojillos won each of their last six league meetings with Almeria, and we expect them to continue that fine record in their opening match of 2024.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.