Osasuna will be bidding to continue their strong start to the 2022-23 La Liga campaign when they make the trip to Almeria on Monday night.
The visitors are currently fifth in the table, boasting nine points from their opening four matches, while Almeria sit 13th, having picked up four points from as many games this term.
Match preview
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Almeria won last season's Segunda Division to secure a return to Spain's top flight, with the team operating at this level of football for the first time since the 2014-15 season, when they were relegated in 19th position.
La Union opened their campaign with a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid before picking up four points from their next two matches, drawing 1-1 at Elche before recording a 2-1 win over Sevilla.
Almeria will enter this game off the back of a disappointing result, going down 1-0 at Real Valladolid on September 5, but a positive start to the campaign has left them in 13th position on four points.
Rubi's side will be aware of the size of the task facing them this season, but there have been positive signs over the last month, and their home form could be crucial in terms of staying in the division.
Almeria have not actually faced Osasuna in La Liga since April 2014, when they lost 2-1 at home, but the pair met in the Copa del Rey in January 2021, with Almeria recording a 5-4 win.
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Osasuna started their campaign with back-to-back wins over Sevilla and Cadiz before suffering a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis towards the end of August.
Jagoba Arrasate's side will enter this match off the back of a positive result, though, having recorded a 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano, with Ruben Garcia coming up with the winning goal in the final minute.
A total of nine points from four matches has left Osasuna in fifth position in the table, and they will now be looking to enter the international break off the back of two more wins over Almeria and Getafe.
Osasuna have only beaten Almeria once in La Liga since early 2010, although this is not a fixture that has been played at the top level on a regular basis in recent history.
Los Rojillos have finished 10th, 11th and 10th in their three seasons in La Liga since returning to the top level, and it would not be a surprise to see them in a similar position this term.
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Team News
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Almeria will be missing four players for Monday's contest, with Ivan Martos, Juanjo Nieto, Inigo Eguaras and Gonzalo Melero on the sidelines.
Cesar de la Hoz is also a doubt with a problem that he picked up against Real Valladolid, so there could be a position in midfield for Portillo.
Leo Baptistao, Dyego Sousa and Largie Ramazani are set to play as the front three, while Rodrigo Ely will again feature in the middle of the defence.
Osasuna, meanwhile, will be without Kike Saverio due to an Achilles injury; Ruben Pena is also a major doubt for the visitors due to a muscular problem.
Ante Budimir and Ezequiel Avila are set to operate in the final third of the field, with Aimar Oroz and Moi Gomez featuring in the wide positions.
Lucas Torro was substituted in the early stages of the second half against Rayo Vallecano last time out, but the midfielder is expected to again feature in the middle of midfield.
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Pozo, Ely, Babic, Akieme; Robertone, Portillo, Costa; Baptistao, Sousa, Ramazani
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Vidal, U Garcia, D Garcia, Sanchez; Oroz, Moncayola, Torro, Gomez; Budimir, Avila
We say: Almeria 1-1 Osasuna
Almeria have already beaten Sevilla at home this season, while they only narrowly lost to Real Madrid, so this has the potential to be a tough match for Osasuna. The visitors have made a strong start to the season, but we can see the points being shared in a low-scoring draw here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
