Preview: Osasuna vs. Atletico Madrid
Fresh from their Madrid derby triumph on Sunday, Atletico Madrid will be looking to claim another three points in La Liga when they face Osasuna at Estadio El Sadar on Thursday night.
The hosts, meanwhile, as seeking to avoid a fifth consecutive game without a victory in all competitions.
After securing an impressive seventh-placed finish and reaching the Copa del Rey final last season, Osasuna have since endured a difficult start to the new campaign, winning just two of their opening eight games across all competitions.
Los Rojillos began the month of September with back-to-back La Liga losses to Barcelona and Getafe before playing out a goalless draw with Sevilla last weekend, firing just two of their 16 shots on target in a frustrating contest on home soil.
Jagoba Arrasate’s side have subsequently slipped to 11th in the La Liga table, and at this early stage, they find themselves sitting three points above the relegation zone as well as three points behind Thursday’s opponents Atletico Madrid in fifth place.
Osasuna’s early-season form at Estadio El Sadar will be a cause for concern for Arrasate as they have failed to win any of their first four home matches in all tournaments, losing three times and scoring just two goals in the process, despite ending last season with five home wins in their last six games.
Hopes of securing their maiden home win of the new campaign on Thursday could prove challenging, though, as Los Rojillos have not beaten Atletico Madrid on their own turf since a 3-0 win in February 2014.
Atletico Madrid travel to Estadio El Sadar in buoyant mood after claiming a 3-1 home victory over Real Madrid on Sunday evening – ending a three-game winless streak against their city rivals.
Two goals inside the opening 18 minutes from Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann put Atletico in control, before a sweet strike from Toni Kroos 10 minutes before the break restored hope for Los Blancos.
However, Los Cochoneros did not take long to regain their two-goal cushion as Morata found the net just 30 seconds into the second half, and Atletico eventually held on for an impressive derby triumph to climb into the top five of La Liga.
Diego Simeone is now tasked with finding consistency for his Atletico side, who had previously beaten Rayo Vallecano 7-0, lost 3-0 at Valencia and drawn 1-1 with Lazio in their Champions League group-stage opener.
Los Cochoneros will be confident of claiming back-to-back La Liga wins for the first time this season on Thursday as they have won each of their last 10 meetings with Osasuna, winning their last five away encounters by an aggregate score of 15-1.
Osasuna La Liga form:
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Osasuna form (all competitions):
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Atletico Madrid La Liga form:
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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):
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We say: Osasuna 0-2 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid will be considered firm favourites to win on Thursday and have every reason to feel confident of securing maximum points against an Osasuna side who are yet to find their groove in the early stages of this season.
Only Barcelona and Girona (both 16) have scored more La Liga goals that Atletico (13) so far this term, and we expect their in-form attackers to have more joy in the final third at Estadio El Sadar.