Villarreal vs Osasuna Match Preview & Predictions

Villarreal vs Osasuna match preview and predictions for Sunday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as Unai Emery’s side aim to extend their winning streak.

Villarreal vs Osasuna Preview

Sunday’s action in LaLiga kicks off at the Ceramica where Villarreal are playing host to Osasuna. Unai Emery’s side are on the brink of making the Semi-Finals of the Europa League but they have work to do in order to guarantee European qualification for next season via their league position.

Villarreal travelled to Croatia in midweek and emerged with a 1-0 win from their Quarter Final 1st Leg against Dinamo Zagreb. Predictably it was Gerard Moreno who got the goal, scoring a 1st Half penalty which puts the Yellow Submarine firmly in pole position to reach the Semi-Finals where they will play Arsenal or Slavia Prague. There now looks a real opportunity to potentially make a European Final for the first time and we may see some light rotation in this game as a result.

Emery’s side are in really good form in all competitions right now having also won their last 3 in LaLiga to halt a worrying slide which threatened to see them drop into mid-table. Victories over Eibar, Cadiz and Granada have steadied the ship and the lie on 46 points, the same number as Real Betis and Real Sociedad.

As for Osasuna, they sit in 14th but with a 7 point cushion on the relegation zone heading into this matchday. They still have work to do in order to guarantee survival. A couple more wins would surely do the trick but their recent results and performances suggest they will be quite happy to keep drawing matches and keep accumulating single points.

Their last 3 LaLiga games have all ended 0-0. They didn’t muster a serious attempt on goal until Stoppage Time last week against Getafe in an utterly drab match and it’s safe to say they aren’t exactly the neutral’s pick right now. That may soon change though, with the ever popular Chimy Avila fit again and featuring off the bench last weekend. It’s probably too soon for him to start but he could play some part again here.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 5 Villarreal Wins, 1 Osasuna Win.
• Both teams have scored in all of the last 6 meetings.
• Villarreal won the reverse fixture 3-1 earlier in the season.
• Osasuna have only taken 1 point from their last 5 league visits to the Ceramica, despite scoring on each visit.

Team News

Vicente Iborra and Pervis Estupiñán are both sidelined through injury for the hosts.

Inigo Perez and Ruben Martinez are both injury doubts for the visitors who have Jon Moncayola back from a ban.

Predicted Villarreal Starting Lineup:

Asenjo – Pedraza, Torres, Albiol, Mario – Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros – Gerard, Bacca, Pena (4-3-3)

Predicted Osasuna Starting Lineup:

Herrera – Cruz, Aridane, Garcia, Vidal – Garcia, Torro, Brasanac, Barja – Budimir, Calleri (4-4-2)

Villarreal vs Osasuna Predictions

LaLiga Expert Predicts: Villarreal 1-0 Osasuna (follow us on Tipstrr to view our betting tips)

Osasuna are a tough team to break down and Villarreal may have to be patient here but over the course of 90 minutes, you’d fancy them to find a breakthrough, particularly given the form Gerard Moreno is in. The Yellow Submarine ought to record a 4th straight league win.

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