Osasuna will attempt to clinch a European place when they travel to Mendizorroza for Saturday’s meeting with Alaves on matchday 38.
The visitors are sitting just outside the top eight, while the hosts are in 14th position after recently securing their safety.
Match preview
Alaves will enter Saturday’s contest with a sense of relief after winning three of their last five matches to preserve their top-flight status with a game to play.
After edging out Real Sociedad, Alaves held Atletico Madrid to a hard-fought goalless draw, before they fell just short in their 1-0 away loss to Athletic Bilbao.
However, they quickly bounced back with a 1-0 home win over Valencia, before they repeated that scoreline in Sunday’s away clash against relegated Real Valladolid.
Kike Garcia‘s 18th-minute penalty proved enough to clinch all three points at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla to secure Alaves’ place in the top flight, ensuring they can look forward to competing in the top flight in a third consecutive campaign.
Eduardo Coudet‘s side can also be proud of the fact that they have recorded four clean sheets in their last five matches, while they have not conceded more than one goal in any of their previous eight games since they lost 2-0 to Rayo Vallecano at the end of March.
Alaves will try to wrap up the season by claiming a third consecutive victory, but that may be easier said than done, having lost each of their previous six home games against Osasuna since they eased to a 3-0 victory in October 2015.
Osasuna know they will experience a change of manager for the second summer in a row after Vicente Moreno announced earlier this month that he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Moreno has overseen two positive results following his announcement, including a 2-0 victory over third-placed Atletico Madrid at El Sadar.
Osasuna repeated that scoreline in Sunday’s meeting with relegation-threatened Espanyol, as Ante Budimir and Raul Garcia grabbed a goal apiece to seal a fourth consecutive home victory, leaving their side level on points with eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano, who hold the goal difference advantage.
The ninth-placed side are also just a point away from Celta Vigo in seventh position, meaning they could qualify for the Europa League, Conference League or miss out on Europe altogether.
While a number of permutations could come into play, Osasuna will try to give themselves the best possible chance by claiming all three points, although those hopes may be dented by the fact that they have won just two of their 18 La Liga away games this season (D9, L7).
Los Rojillos do at least boast a strong record against Alaves, having won eight and drawn two of their last 10 head-to-head meetings, keeping clean sheets in seven of those victories.
Team News
The hosts remain without central defender Abdel Abqar, who has missed the previous six matches due to a calf injury.
Moussa Diarra is a doubt for the final game of the season after sitting out the last two matches with a broken nose.
Veteran forward Kike Garcia is set to lead the line against his former club, with the striker looking to add to his 13-goal league tally for he season.
As for Osasuna, they will be unable to call upon Kike Barja, who saw Sunday’s substitute appearance cut short due to a muscle injury.
Moreno could opt for consistency in his final game in charge by selecting the same team that started the win over Espanyol.
Budimir will be hoping to add to his impressive tally, having scored in each of the last three games to take his tally to 21 goals in 37 La Liga appearances.
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Tenaglia, Garces, Mourino, Sanchez; Blanco, Guevera; Vicente, Guridi, Alena; Kike
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Boyomo, Catena, Cruz; Torro, Ibanez; R. Garcia, Oroz, Zaragoza; Budimir
We say: Alaves 1-2 Osasuna
Alaves may subconsciously take their foot off the pedal after they secured their safety last weekend, and with that in mind, we think Osasuna will do enough to claim maximum points, especially as they have won their previous six head-to-head away matches.
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