Real Madrid visit Osasuna this afternoon in their second to last league match before the winter break, and can draw level on points with leaders Barcelona, if only for a few hours, if they come away with a win.
It would not be wise for Carlo Ancelotti’s men to take the game at the El Sadar stadium lightly though, as big teams, including Madrid, have struggled there in recent years. The vocal home support and their proximity to the pitch make it an intimidating place to go.
Indeed, Barcelona dropped their first points of the season there in a 0-0 draw, while Los Blancos have only won twice in Pamplona in six years. Interestingly, both those victories were in years when they went on to win the league, so a victory today could be a good omen.
In terms of team news, Italian boss Ancelotti has said there won’t be too many changes from the side that won in Copenhagen this week. Raphael Varane will once again sit out proceedings with his knee injury still causing problems. Coentrao is still unavailable, and although Luka Modric picked up a knock midweek, he should be in the squad at least.
Probable line ups:
Osasuna:Andres Fernández, Marc Bertán, Jordan Lotiès, Alejandro Arribas, Damià, Lolo, Francisco Silva, Álvaro Cejudo, Emiliano Armenteros, Roberto Torres, Oriol Riera
Real Madrid:
