CA Osasuna Vs. Real Madrid Preview, Odds: Los Blancos Look To Hold La Liga Lead After Crashing Out Of Cup
A furious comeback by Real Madrid fell short on Thursday, as Los Blancos suffered a stunning defeat to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. Real ended up losing 4-3 and crashing out of Spain’s domestic Cup tournament that they have not won since 2014. On Sunday, Zinedine Zidane’s squad will look to avoid what would be an extremely bad week by grabbing a road win in Pamplona against newly-promoted CA Osasuna.
Osasuna are enjoying a respectable season in their first season back in the Spanish top flight after two tears in the second division, with 28 points from 22 matches, good enough for 12th place. But they have managed only six league victories and come in as heavy underdogs against the league leaders despite playing on their home ground.
For Real Madrid, however, a loss could cost them the top spot in La Liga, as they hold only a three-point lead over arch-rivals FC Barcelona, who travel to Seville to take on Real Betis later on Sunday evening.
Osasuna was also bounced from the Copa del Rey by Real Sociedad and have now lost two matches in a row following their La Liga defeat to Villarreal last weekend, according to Sports Mole. Meanwhile, Real Madrid has won for league matches consecutively, sandwiched around their Copa del Rey defeat.
ESPN experts preview the CA Osasuna vs. Real Madrid match in the video below.
The loss to Real Sociedad ended a 21-game unbeaten run in all competitions for Real Madrid. Nonetheless, they come into Sunday’s match as heavy favorites to take all three points and preserve their league lead in the Osasuna match. According to moneyline odds published by Bleacher Report, Los Blancos bring a -190 line into the game, meaning that a wager of $190 turns a $100 profit in the event of a Real Madrid victory.
Osasuna, on the other hand, have been installed as +475 underdogs. In other words, a bet of $100 pays off $475, plus the original $100, if the lower-ranked team can stage a remarkable upset. The moneyline on a draw has been set at +350.
Even though Real Madrid’s prize summer signing, former Chelsea striker Eden Hazard, was seen practicing with the team all week long, the Belgian reportedly will not be back in action for the Osasuna contest, according to The Hard Tackle.
Welsh fullback Gareth Bale, however, is anticipated to return from his ankle injury and be available for selection by Zidane on Sunday.
The CA Osasuna vs. Real Madrid La Liga match gets underway on Sunday, February 9, at 4 p.m. Central European Standard Time at El Sadar Stadium in Pamplona. That start time translates to 10 a.m. EST, 7 a.m. PST, in the United States, where the Qatar-based cable sports network BeIn Sports will televise the match, as well as provide a live online stream.
