Deportivo v Osasuna preview: Arrasate demands bravery as Hidalgo’s side chase end to winless run
Deportivo v Osasuna at Riazor brings together two LaLiga sides on 11 points, with Depor six games without a league win and Osasuna beaten in four straight away trips.
Deportivo v Osasuna closes LaLiga’s Matchday 11 at Riazor on Monday night, with both clubs on 11 points and both badly in need of a lift.
Main image: DSN graphic. Photo: FotosLaLiga / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Kick-off is at 20:00 UK time (21:00 in Spain). Antonio Hidalgo’s Deportivo, back in the top flight for the first time since 2017-18, have not won a league game since early September. Jagoba Arrasate’s Osasuna travel badly. Something has to give.
Deportivo v Osasuna: form guide
Depor’s last league win was a 3-2 victory at Villarreal on 5 September, the same Villarreal side covered in our Villarreal v Espanyol preview. Since then they have gone six league games without a win, with three draws and three defeats. Last weekend they performed well at Atlético Madrid but still lost 1-0. A 3-0 Copa del Rey win in midweek at least brought some relief.
Osasuna changed coach last month, dismissing summer appointment Luis Miguel Ramis and bringing back club favourite Arrasate for a second spell. He started with a 2-0 home win over Racing Santander, the side later beaten in Racing’s 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid. A 2-0 loss at Sevilla followed, before a Copa del Rey win at Atlético Calatayud in midweek.
Away form is Osasuna’s big worry. Their only league win on the road this season came at Celta Vigo in August. They have lost four straight away league games since, conceding 16 goals.
| Key numbers | Deportivo | Osasuna |
|---|---|---|
| Points (games) | 11 (10) | 11 (10) |
| Last league win | 3-2 at Villarreal, 5 Sep | 2-0 v Racing |
| Recent run | 6 league games without a win | 4 straight away defeats |
| Last league win at Riazor for Osasuna | December 2007 | |
Team news
All eyes in A Coruña are on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been working his way back from surgery. Hidalgo gave little away, but Spanish radio station COPE reported on Monday that the striker will be named in the squad. Bright Ede, Marc Casadó and Zakaria Eddahchouri remain unavailable.
Osasuna have been without Jorge Herrando and Aimar Oroz because of muscle problems. Ante Budimir is expected to lead the line, and Arrasate has promised changes to his starting XI.
What Arrasate said
Arrasate called it a very important match and said there would be changes because it was a different game with a different plan. He described Deportivo as a dynamic, combination-based team who keep switching positions and shape, with players technically good enough to take you apart.
His message to his own players was clear. He said he wants a brave team that makes Depor feel threatened, and admitted that picking up points away from home in LaLiga takes a long spell of doing things well.
Head-to-head
History favours the hosts. Osasuna have not won a league game at Riazor since a 2-1 victory in December 2007. The last league meeting between the clubs, in April 2017, ended 2-2. Osasuna did win 2-1 at Riazor in the Copa del Rey in December 2021.
Spanish football’s big weekend story was Real Madrid’s trip to unbeaten-at-home Racing, but this one matters just as much to both clubs near the bottom half. For more football beyond Europe, our sister site DGBN has covered Nigeria’s Flamingos reaching the U-17 Women’s World Cup semi-finals.
Jon Ander González Esteban is the referee.
