PROBABLE LINEUPS |
OSASUNA Fernandez Raitala, Roversio, Flano, Damia Punal, NekounamCejudo, Garcia, Lamah Nino | REAL MADRID Casillas Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo Khedira, AlonsoOzil, Kaka, Ronaldo Benzema |
Marc Bertran will sit out the visit of Real Madrid after limping out of Osasuna's 2-0 win at Levante on Sunday.
Kike Sola and Masoud Shojaei are both sidelined through injury, but Javad Nekounam is available again after serving a one-match ban.
Real Madrid will be without Jose Callejon (ankle), Ricardo Carvalho (thigh) and Lassana Diarra (hamstring), but winger Angel Di Maria, who has been out of action since February with a thigh problem, is likely to be involved.
Mesut Ozil returns from suspension along with boss Jose Mourinho, who served a touchline ban in Saturday's 5-1 win over Real Sociedad after being sent-off in the stormy 1-1 draw at Villarreal.
Raphael Varane is set to continue at centre-back in the absence of Pepe, who serves the second of his two-game ban.
DID YOU KNOW? |
- Sixth-placed Osasuna are on a six-match unbeaten run in La Liga (W3, D3).
- The Pamplona outfit have suffered just two home defeats in the league this season - against Racing Santander and Atletico Madrid.
- Osasuna, along with Racing, have drawn the most games in the Primera Division this season (13).
- Real Madrid have lost on two of their last three visits to Osasuna. Their last victory at the Reyno de Navarra came in May 2008.
- Averaging 3.3 goals per game, the Castilian club boast the best attack in the Primera Division.
- Cristiano Ronaldo's (pictured right) double in the 5-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad made him the fastest player to reach 100 goals in La Liga history (101 in 92 games).
Mourinho will be relieved with his team's late scoring spree in Cyprus, as he will not have to rest players for the Osasuna clash with Wednesday's second leg in mind. That said, the home side's direct, in-your-face approach in a raucous Reyno de Navarra can unsettle the league leaders, whose patchy away performances of late is a cause for concern with trips to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao due in the coming weeks.
Editor's Prediction
Osasuna 1-1 Real Madrid