Five things to know ahead of Barça v Osasuna
The LaLiga gameweek 27 fixture this Thursday sees Barça welcome Osasuna (27 March, kick-off 9.00pm CET). The blaugranes are looking to extend their lead in the competition, while the visitors are currently mid-table... not entirely out of the hunt for European places but not fully clear of the relegation zone either.
A game to redress the balance
Hansi Flick's side have the chance to do better than in the reverse fixture in September last year when they lost 4-2. Vicente Moreno's side put on a very professional performance to hand a highly rotated Barça side their first LaLiga defeat of the season. All the same, the omens are good, as history tell us that Barça have never lost to Osasuna twice in the same league season.
Budimir a real sharpshooter against Barça
The Croatian striker is adored in Pamplona for his commitment and hunger for goals. Now in his fourth season at the club, he is currently performing very well. He actually broke a club record recently on becoming Osasuna's highest ever goalscorer in the Primera División with 58 goals. Barça's defence will have to remain robust to rebut the forward.
Furthermore, Budimir seems to like playing against Barça, having already scored four goals against the blaugranes. In addition to against Girona, Cádiz, and Granada, he has scored more than one brace when playing the Catalans, including in this season's reverse fixture. Another reason to keep a watchful eye on him.
Barça in good form
The blaugranes are in their best form of the season at the moment. Not only are they leading the table, they have won the last seven games in a row, earning clean sheets in four of them. This week's game is another chance to extend the good form, but it's no easy task, as Osasuna always raise their game against the traditionally bigger sides, showing just that this season against Barça themselves, Real Madrid, and Real Sociedad.
Defensive solidity at home to Osasuna
History shows that Barça v Osasuna matches tend to end positively for the blaugranes' defence. The last four home matches between the Catalans and the Navarrans have ended with a Barça victory and a clean sheet. All the same, five clean sheets in a row for Barça has only happened once before, so this week's game is chance to equal that record.
Lewandowski can add to his tally
The Polish striker is in a good vein of form. Now in his third season with Barça, he has already bettered his goalscoring numbers from his first season. Furthermore, Lewandowski has scored in the first four LaLiga games of 2025 at home, so let's see if he can continue that run.