La Liga Saturday Matchday 14 Preview: Barcelona Look To Consolidate Clasico Walkover At Osasuna

Osasuna vs Barcelona

It’s not going to be easy for Pep Guardiola, but somehow he will have to try and get his players back down to planet earth after their ‘perfect’ performance on Monday against Real Madrid. Osasuna lie in wait, and although the match is in danger of being cancelled due to the air traffic control strike that started last night, the pitch will at least be playable after the blanket of snow it receieved yesterday. Barcelona have stuck five or more goals past Real Madrid five times in their history, and apart from one exception in the 1970s, they have gone on to lose the following match.

Concentration levels will have to be high, because Osasuna is one of those teams capable of beating anyone on their own turf. The team from Navarra are on a run of three consecutive home victories and are 12 matches unbeaten in the Reyno De Navarra. Tonight task will be the toughest of all though as they welcome a Barcelona side that has smashed in 13 goals in their last two matches. Jose Antonio Camacho’s men will have to put in a monumental shift, both tactically and physically, if they are to get anything from this match. Camacho will be without his bulldozer of a striker, Carlos Aranda, but will be thankful that topscorer Walter Pandiani has recovered from injury in time to lead the line. Pandiani will be a fundamental piece of Osasuna’s line-up if he starts, his physical presence an ideal form of pegging Barcas defence firmly in their own half.

Pep Guardiola is set to name the same side that swatted Real Madrid aside, with Leo Messi fit again after Sergio Ramos’ robust challenge in the last minute of the Clasico. David Villa and Pedro will line up alongside Messi as the most dangerous trident in Spanish football prepare to reek havoc once more. The only possible change in Barca’s starting XI could be a like-for-like swap between Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano. Regardless of their recent home form, Osasuna have failed to beat Barcelona in Pamplona since 2005/2006 and looking at Barcas form coming into the match you can’t help but feel that record will continue tonight.

Real Madrid vs Valencia

Real Madrid will be hoping that one of the most humbling weeks of their history will be put right with a victory of a dangerous Valencia side in the Santiago Bernabeu. The match is vital to Madrid’s league ambitions as defeat could see them fall 5 points behind Barca and a hefty blow will be dealt to their hopes of dethroning the Catalans. Mourinhos team will walk out onto the Bernabeu turf knowing exactly how Barca have fared in Pamplona, which will only add extra nerves to those produced by their 5-0 thrashing at the Camp Nou. If Barca lose and Real Madrid win, ‘Los Merengues’ would return to the Liga summit and the Clasico defeat will be reduced to a mere anecdote. Albeit a painful one.

Real Madrid will have to do without the suspended Sergio Ramos and Ricardo Carvalho, with Alvaro Arbeloa and Raul Albiol expected to plug the gaps, while Gonzalo Higuain misses out once more as he debates whether or not to enter the operating theatre. Karim Benzema will continue his duties at the head of Madrid’s formation and the Frenchman will be looking to put his anonymous performance at Barca behind him as he looks to cement a place in Mourinho’s starting XI. Cristiano Ronaldo hadnt been able to train until yesterday after Victor Valdes injured his ankle, but he is expected to start. It takes more than a small knock to keep CR7 out of action.

For Valencia, Unai Emery has two formations to choose from, two that have served the manager well so far this season. At the Mestalla, Emery often opts for a 4-4-2, taking advantage of the width offered by Joaquin and Mata and allowing Roberto Soldado to be partnered in attack, more often than not by Aritz Aduriz. But away from home, their formation usually reverts to a 4-5-1, with a more compact midfield formed by Albelda, Maduro and Tino Costa aimed at controlling possession and closing spaces in midfield. And of course they rely heavily on Soldado’s finishing instincts to kill teams off. It all depends on how ambitious Unai Emery is feeling, although injuries may also force his hand with David Navarro and Mahieu and Topal all out through injury.

Levante vs Atletico Madrid

If Atletico Madrid want to avoid this season turning into their annual rollercoaster of ups and downs, consistent form is a must. After solid wins against Osasuna and Real Sociedad, including that superb fightback at Anoeta, they fell to an unlikely defeat at the hands of Espanyol at the Vicente Calderon before falling at the hands of Aris Salonika in their midweek Europa League tie. Both teams are in desperate need of three points, as Levante look to pull themselves away from the drop zone and Atletico aim to keep in touch with those teams occupying the European spots.

The table have turned dramatically within Atleti’s squad. Alvaro Dominguez and Assuncao were key in Atletico’s solid start to the season, yet both players find themselves frozen out. Sergio Agüero and Diego Forlan struggled to get their season off the ground early door, but now the fearsome duo cannot stop scoring. Sergio Agüero will have extra cause for celebration tonight as he marks his first start in an Atleti shirt as a Spanish national. The little striker was granted dual nationality on Friday which frees up an extra non-European spot within Atletico’s squad. Alongside him, Forlan will be raring to go, having scored 8 goals in 6 matches against Levante.

At home Levante are more than capable of giving any team a thorough examination, and it will surely be their home form that decides their fate come the end of the season. Real Madrid for example only managed a point in their trip to the Ciudad de Valencia Stadium. Key to their chances tonight are strikers Stuani and Felipe Caicedo who have chipped in with vital goals so far this season. With six players missing, Levante will be depleted in numbers, but you can be sure they will be fighting as if their lives depended on it come 6pm (EST).