Read Madrid take on Osasuna in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight and will want to build an advantage ahead of the tricky return trip in Navarra.
The two teams met just a few weeks ago in Pamplona, where Osasuna gave Los Blancos a real fight in a 2-2 draw. A pair of goals from Oriol Riera gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before Carlos Ancelotti’s 10-man team fought back after Sergio Ramos had been given his marching orders.
Tonight’s visitors are in a rich vein of form at the moment and are currently on a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions including that draw with Los Blancos. Real were too passive in that match and will need to come out of the blocks quicker than they did against Celta Vigo at the weekend if they are to build a big lead in order to rest key players in the second leg with a busy schedule coming up.
Ancelotti knows Osasuna will set up defensively tonight and look to hit Real on the break, something the home side’s defense must be alert about. At the same time, Los Blancos will be eager to get forward at every opportunity. The Italian boss has said he will field his strongest team available, meaning we should see the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ancelotti also said there may be a chance for Jese to prove himself with some valuable game time.
Probable Line-ups:
Real Madrid: Iker Casillas, Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Asier Illa, Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale, Isco, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jesé Rodriguez.
Osasuna: Andrés, Marc Bertán, Jordan Lotiès, Alejandro Arribas, Joan Oriol, Patxi Puñal, Lolo, Âlvaro Cejudo, Roberto Torres, Emilano Armenteros, Oriol Riera.
