Osasuna will be looking to continue their strong start to the 2022-23 La Liga campaign when they make a trip to Almeria on Monday.
While the hosts sit 13th havng picked up four points from their opening four matches, their visitors are currently fifth in the table , boasting nine points from as many games this season.
Almeria won last season’s Segunda Division to secure a return to La Liga, with the team operating at this level of football for the first time since the 2014-15 season, when they were relegated after a 19th-placed finish.
Rubi’s side will enter this contest off the back of a disappointing result, suffering a 1-0 defeat at Real Valladolid on September 5, but a positive start to the season has left them in 13th place on four points.
La Union will be aware of the amount of task facing them this season, but there have been positive signs over the last month, and their home form could be crucial in terms of staying in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Osasuna kicked off their campaign with back-to-back victories over Sevilla and Cadiz before suffering a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis towards the end of August.
However, Los Rojillos will enter this contest off the back of a positive result, having claimed a 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano, with Ruben Garcia scoring the winning goal in the final minute.
Jagoba Arrasate’s side have only beaten Almeria once in La Liga since early 2010, although this is not a fixture that has been played at the top flight on a regular basis in recent histrory.
Osasuna have finished 10th, 11th and 10th in their three campaigns in the top flight since making a return to La Liga, and it would not be a surprise to see them in a similar position this season.
Almeria vs Osasuna head to head
These two teams have previously met on 21 occasions across all competitions, where Almeria have claimed seven victories while Osasuna have won 11, and they have drawn in three. Almeria have scored 20 goals and conceded 28. In their last five meetings, Almeria have won one while Osasuna have won four.
Osasuna 2-1 Almeria 16/09/17
Almeria 0-1 Osasuna 10/02/18
Osasuna 3-1 Almeria 08/09/18
Almeria 0-1 Osasuna 26/01/19
Almeria(P)0-0 Osasuna 27/01/21
Almeria latest home form
Almeria have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just two of their eight most recent matches. They managed to defeat Sevilla 2-1 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded five.
Almeria 1-0 Velez 17/07/22
Almeria 1-2 Cordoba 23/07/22
Almeria 1-0 FC Cartagena 05/08/22
Almeria 1-2 Real Madrid 14/08/22
Almeria 2-1 Sevilla 27/08/22
Almeria latest away form
Almeria have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their five most recent matches. They lost 1-0 to Real Valladolid in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and conceded nine.
Leganes 2-2 Almeria 29/05/22
San Fernando CD 2-3 Almeria 24/07/22
Granada 3-2 Almeria 30/07/22
Elche 1-1 Almeria 22/08/22
Real Valladolid 1-0 Almeria 05/09/22
Osasuna latest home form
Osasuna have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their six most recent matches. They managed to defeat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 11 goals and conceded five.
Osasuna 4-3 Huesca 23/07/22
Osasuna 1-0 Burgos 05/08/22
Osasuna 2-1 Sevilla 12/08/22
Osasuna 2-0 Cadiz 20/08/22
Osasuna 2-1 Rayo Vallecano 04/09/22
Osasuna latest away form
Osasuna have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just two of their eight most recent matches. They lost 1-0 to Real Betis in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and conceded six.
Real Sociedad 1-0 Osasuna 27/07/22
Groningen 2-1 Osasuna 30/07/22
Feyenoord 1-2 Osasuna 31/07/22
Mirandes 1-2 Osasuna 05/08/22
Real Betis 1-0 Osasuna 26/08/22
Almeria news
Almeria will be without four players for this contest, with Gonzalo Malero, Inigo Eguaras, Juanjo Nieto and Ivan Martos on the sidelines.
Largie Ramazani, Dyego Sousa and Leo Baptisto are set to play as the front three, while Rodrigo Ely is likely to again feature in the middle of the defence.
Osasuna news
Osasuna will take to the pitch without Kike Savero due to an Achilles injury, while Ruben Pena is a major doubt for the visitors due to a muscular issue.
Ezequiel Avila and Ante Budimir should operate in the final third of the field, with Moi Gomez and Aimar Oroz featuring in the wide positions.
Prediction and Odds
Almeria have already defeated Sevilla at home this season, while they only narrowly lost to Real Madrid, so they are sure to make this a tough match for Osasuna.
Their visitors have made a strong start to the season, but we have a feeling that the hosts will push for a draw.
Odds: 1 2.28 X 2.00 2 2.20
Probable oucomes
Almeria 0-0 Osasuna
Almeria 1-1 Osasuna
Almeria 2-2 Osasuna
Almeria 0-1 Osasuna
Almeria 1-2 Osasuna