Osasuna vs Espanyol

Osasuna and Espanyol will lock horns at the Estadio El Sadar in their opening 2021/22 La Liga fixture.

Consecutive defeats to conclude the 2020/21 La Liga season probably the best illustrates Osasuna’s disappointing league campaign that resulted in an underwhelming 11th-place finish. A strong start could be on the cards here, as the hosts take on an Espanyol side they have outplayed more often than any other top-flight opposition (W30, D15, L25). Adding to their confidence, ‘Los Rojillos‘ head into proceedings on the back of a solid home form, having avoided defeat in five of their previous six home La Liga outings (W3, D2). Moreover, Osasuna went unbeaten in all three top-flight encounters against newly-promoted sides at home last season (W2, D1), netting an average of 2.00 goals per game. Jagoba Arrasate’s men haven’t lost their previous two La Liga openers after registering a shutout on each occasion.

On the other hand, Espanyol climbed back to La Liga following a single second-tier campaign, returning to the top-flight as second-tie champions with 82 points from 42 matches. However, an abysmal form heading into the new season is concerning (W1, D2, L2), as is the fact they netted under 1.5 goals four times during that sequence. Bear that in mind as the ‘Periquitos‘ look to bring a 530-minute goalless top-flight run to a halt, something they should be able to do after keeping hold of their entire squad in the summer. Worryingly, though, the visitors have failed to claim a single victory in their last eight opening day away league fixtures since 2000/01 (D4, L4). Ahead of the kick-off, the Catalan side are winless in ten consecutive La Liga matches (D2, L8).