LaLiga 26/27 · Round 9 ·
CA Osasuna vs Racing Santander preview: Osasuna host Santander with both sides desperate for points
Osasuna welcome Santander to Estadio El Sadar with both clubs level on eight points and separated by a single league position. The clearest signal is Santander's away defence, which concedes four goals per match on the road and gives Osasuna a rare chance to attack a vulnerable opponent.
By 10xSharp · Published
This preview was published before kickoff. The match has finished: see the result and full stats. Read the match report.
Who is missing for each side
Osasuna are without defender Jorge Herrando, who is out with an injury. That is their only listed absence, and it does not remove any of their leading scorers or creators from the picture. Santander report no unavailable players at all, so their attacking options remain intact for this match.
The players carrying each attack
Ante Budimir is Osasuna's main threat, with six goals in eight matches this season in the league, and he sits sixth in the scoring chart. Raul Garcia adds two assists and one goal, giving Osasuna a secondary creative outlet. For Santander, Yassir Zabiri has seven goals in eight matches, which makes him second in the scoring chart, and Inigo Vicente has contributed two assists.
Who arrives in better shape
Santander arrive in better recent form, taking seven points from their last six league matches compared with four for Osasuna. Osasuna are winless in their last five matches, while Santander are winless in three. Osasuna's last six league results show one win, one draw and four defeats, while Santander's show two wins, one draw and three defeats.
Where the two sides sit
Santander sit 15th and Osasuna 16th, with both clubs on eight points from eight matches. Osasuna's home record is one win, two draws and one defeat, while Santander's away record is four defeats from four matches. Osasuna have a goal difference of minus one at home, while Santander's away goal difference is minus twelve.
What history says about this pairing
Across the last ten meetings, Santander have won seven and Osasuna three, with no draws. The goals in those meetings favour Santander by 21 to 12. In the six meetings at this ground, Santander have won four and Osasuna two, with Santander scoring 11 goals to Osasuna's six.
How dangerous each side is going forward
Osasuna score just half a goal per home match, which is worse than the league average for a home side and a large gap. Santander score one goal per away match, which is also worse than the league average for an away side, but only marginally. Santander hold a clear attacking edge between the two sides.
Who is more likely to keep it tight
Osasuna concede 0.8 goals per home match, which is better than the league average for a home side and a clear edge. Santander concede four goals per away match, which is worse than the league average for an away side and a large gap. Osasuna hold a large defensive edge between the two teams.
Who works the goalkeeper harder
Santander average 4.88 shots on target per match, while Osasuna average 4.13. Santander also see more of their shots blocked, at 2.13 per match compared with 2.5 for Osasuna. Osasuna's lower shots on target figure is not offset by a higher blocked rate, so Santander test the goalkeeper more often.
When each side is most dangerous
Osasuna score half of their goals between minutes 46 and 60, their clearest scoring window. Santander are equally dangerous in the 16-30 and 31-45 minute windows, scoring 31% of their goals in each. Santander also concede 30% of their goals in each of the 76-90 and 31-45 windows.
The goal environment each side produces
Osasuna's matches have gone over 2.5 goals in 50% of cases this season, while Santander's have done so in 87.5%. Santander's matches are also front-loaded, with 87.5% producing two or more goals before half time. Osasuna's home matches have gone over 2.5 goals in 0% of cases, against 100% of their away matches.
How this match is likely to be shaped
Osasuna's home defence is the strongest single unit in this match, while Santander's away defence is the weakest. Santander's attack is more productive than Osasuna's, but their away form is dire. The most likely shape is Osasuna controlling the game at home, with Santander's vulnerability on the road giving the hosts a real chance to end their winless run.