Our prediction for this Primera Division match:
Athletic Club will be aiming to build on a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sevilla when they host Osasuna at their San Mames Barria on Matchday 35. The Lions obviously want to finish the season in style, and we are positive that they will go for a win in Saturday’s clash. All Berchiche, Capa, Muniain, Nolaskoain, and Zarraga are out of contention with injuries. Los Rojillos, on the other hand, are stuck in the middle of the standings.
Osasuna have little to play for in the season finale, and it should come as no surprise they suffered back-to-back defeats to Celta Vigo and Real Madrid in the previous two league fixtures. Anyhow, Athletic Club have been in a much better form of late than Osasuna, and we predict that the hosts are going to prove their worth on the field. Oier is banned for the visitors, while both Calleri and Martinez are sidelined with injuries.
Highlighted Player (Iker Muniain):
Iker Muniain was once considered one of the most talented players in Spain, but he obviously failed to reach his full potential. Munian is an attacking midfielder, who is capable of playing as a forward as well and he began his youth career at Chantrea. In 2005 he made probably the best decision of his career as he joined Athletic Bilbao youth academy.
He made his debut for Athletic Bilbao on 30 July, 2009 in a 1-0 loss to Young Boys in the Europa League. Iker Munian impressed in the 2011/2012 La Liga campaign with the Lions, scoring nine goals in all competitions, but he failed to make a bigger progress. The Athletic Bilbao product has been struggling with injuries and it has to be noted that the injury he suffered against Sevilla on 4 April, 2015 could have ruined his career.
However, he returned to action on 20 December, but he was playing below expectations in the second half of the season. Iker Munian made his Spain debut on 29 February, 2012 in a friendly against Venezuela. La Roja won the match 5-0 and Munian came as a substitute in the 74th minute of the match.
Highlighted Team (Osasuna):
Osasuna are a Basque football team that plays in Spanish La Liga. Los Rojillos are based in Pamplona and and the club were founded in 1920. Estadio El Sadar has been the home of Osasuna since 1967 and the capacity of the stadium is 19,800.
The colour of Osasuna’s home kit is red, while the team’s shorts are navy blue. Los Rojillos dropped to the Segunda Division at the end of the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign, but they did not spend too many time in the Spanish second tier. The club returned to the elite division in 2016 after beating Girona in the play-offs.
Osasuna made it to the Spanish Copa del Rey final in 2005, but they eventually lost to Real Betis after extra time in the title game. The meaning of the word Osasuna is “health” in Basque and it is used in a sense of strength.