La Liga Preview: Madrid Begin the Hunting Game at Osasuna

Osasuna vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid have a real task on their hands to catch Barcelona and it is a task that has been not made easy by the trip to Osasuna. Even though Osasuna lie in the 17th position in the Primera Division, they have always proved to be the thorn for Real Madrid. The four point gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid could be widened to seven points if Barcelona manages to win against Hercules on Saturday. Because of Osasuna's record against Real Madrid, a number of Real Madrid players have been speaking about the difficulty of the game. So, one can expect a pretty determined Madrid performance on Sunday.

The biggest worry for Osasuna at this time is not facing Real Madrid, but preventing themselves from slipping into the bottom three. The club recently was defeated in La Liga and that pushed them into the 17th position and more worryingly, a number of teams around them have started to pick up points. Osasuna’s defenders will be most likely be facing Emmanuel Adebayor instead of Karim Benzema after the Togo international was signed by Madrid, on-loan from Manchester City. Pepe and Gonzalo Higuain are the two biggest misses for José Mourinho's team at the moment.

Espanyol vs Villarreal

Espanyol will be sporting a new side for the match against Villarreal after the club lost two important players in the transfer window last week. Victor Ruiz and Didac Vila’s exit now means that Espanyol will be devoid of two important players at the defence. It is something that could prove costly for the Catalans, especially given that they will be facing a Villarreal side that is aiming for Champions League. Villarreal are the best possible place for securing this as they lie in third position with 42 points.

Espanyol also have been doing well in the league this season and are currently in the fifth position. Even though the club has raised considerable amount of money through the sale of the two players, it has ruled out any new signings for this transfer window. So, Villarreal will be facing a depleted side rather than an improved one. Carlos Marchena and Nilmar have boosted Villarreal by returning from their respective injuries pretty quickly. Juan Carlos Garrido, however, is still without Marcos Senna. Ernesto Galan return gives Espanyol a major boost, although one cannot expect him to be playing for the full 90 minutes.

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