Osasuna vs Real Madrid: Three key battles to watch out for

Real Madrid have a crucial match awaiting them as they face Osasuna in their next La Liga match. Normally, the Merengues would be the favourites for such a game, but keeping their recent form in view, it will not entirely be safe to bet on a victory for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid are coming into this game following two crushing defeats to FC Barcelona and AC Milan and will be desperate to get a win in this game to relieve Carlo Ancelotti of the pressure he has been facing lately.

On the other hand, Osasuna have been in significantly better form, as they have won the last three games in all competitions.

Still, the individual quality present in the Real Madrid squad will make this game a highly entertaining affair, while Osasuna also have some top players who can cause a lot of trouble for the Merengues. The following three key battles will attract the most attention in the upcoming game:

Ante Budimir vs Antonio Rudiger

Ante Budimir has been the top scorer for Osasuna this season and currently stands 4^th in the La Liga Top Scorers table with his 6 goals in 12 matches. Thus, he is scoring at a rate of 0.50 and a scoring frequency of a goal every 144 minutes and thus will present a significant challenge for the Merengues.

However, Los Blancos will be more than ready to face this threat as they have one of the best defenders, Antonio Rudiger, in their backline. Despite the poor performances in the last two games, which can be attributed more to team deficiencies, he is still a formidable defender, and Budimir will have to be at his best to beat him.

Bryan Zaragoza vs Federico Valverde

Bryan Zaragoza, who has returned to Spain after an underwhelming stint in Germany with Bayern Munich, is once again back at this best level. He has played 12 games with Osasuna up to now and already has 1 goal and 5 assists to his name. He provides 1.7 key passes every game, and he has already proven his big-game credentials with his performance against FC Barcelona earlier in the season.

Playing on the left wing, Zaragoza will have Lucas Vazquez stationed against him on paper for this game. However, keeping in view the poor performances of the makeshift right-back, Ancelotti is expected to instruct Federico Valverde to help keep the Spanish winger in control.

Although the Uruguayan had a poor last game, he still contributes a lot to his team’s defence. This season, he is making 1.5 tackles and recovers the ball 5.7 times per game. With his endless stamina and strength, he will put up a significant challenge for Zaragoza to deal with.

Kylian Mbappe vs Alejandro Catena

The French superstar has been under fire for his underwhelming performances since the start of the season, but criticism on him has significantly mounted in the last few weeks.

Thus, he will be particularly driven to prove his quality to his critics, and with the career he has had up to now, one can easily expect him to do this. Despite his poor start to the season, Mbappe still has 6 La Liga goals to his name, scoring 0.60 goals every game.

However, the person who will be mainly tasked to keep him under control, Alejandro Catena, has also been in very good form lately. He particularly shone in his team’s last game against Real Valladolid and with his 1.4 tackles and 2.4 balls recovered per game, he can make things difficult for Kylian Mbappe once again.