Real Madrid vs. Osasuna preview: How to watch on TV, live stream, team news and prediction

Real Madrid are in the thick of the La Liga title race, and they received renewed hope when Barcelona lost to Granada on Thursday night by a score of 2-1. Los Blancos are hobbled by injuries and fatigue, as evidenced by their lethargic 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Champions League this Tuesday. And with the Blues coming up again next week at Stamford Bridge, Zinedine Zidane knows he must rotate in his next league fixture.

Their next opponents? Osasuna, who are in 11th place in the league and boast a steely defensive record, with only six teams allowing fewer goals than them in La Liga thus far. Real Madrid are expected to get all three points, and they must win in order to keep up with league leaders and crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid in the title race. But the three points won’t be easy.

Where to watch Real Madrid vs. Osasuna

When is it? Saturday 1 May

What time is kick off? 3:00 p.m. ET, 21:00 CET

Where is it played? Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano

TV Channel? beIN Sports (USA), La Liga TV on Premier Sports (UK)

Live Stream? Sling TV, fuboTV, La Liga TV on Amazon Prime (UK)

Referee? Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez

Real Madrid Team News

Sergio Ramos could make his return after being out since the March international break with an injury. If he does play, expect him to come off the bench as a tune-up before Wednesday night’s Champions League match against Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy and Fede Valverde are out. They did not practice with the team on Friday, and now the focus is on whether or not they can play against the Blues.

Dani Carvajal is out for the season after suffering an injury in the first leg of the semifinals.

Eden Hazard has successfully played off the bench against Real Betis and Chelsea, so he could get his first start post-injury vs. Osasuna. If he does start, do not expect him to play the full 90 minutes.

Luka Modric and Toni Kroos could be rested for the second leg of the Champions League, as they were clearly not at their best in the first leg.

Osasuna Team News

Forward Jonathan Calleri, who is tied with three other players for the team lead with seven goal contributions, is out. He is the only notable absence for the visitors.

Real Madrid vs. Osasuna Predicted Lineups

Real Madrid: Courtois, Nacho, Militao, Varane, Odriozola, Isco, Casemiro, Blanco, Vinicius, Benzema, Rodrygo

Osasuna: Sergio Herrera, Manu Sanchez, Aridane, David Garcia, Nacho Vidal, Javi Martinez, Moncayola, Torro, Ruben Garcia, Budimir, Roberto Torres

Real Madrid recent form

Real Madrid 1-1 Chelsea (4/27) – Champions League

Real Madrid 0-0 Real Betis (4/24) – La Liga

Cadiz 0-3 Real Madrid (4/21) – La Liga

Getafe 0-0 Real Madrid (4/18) – La Liga

Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid (4/14) – Champions League

Osasuna recent form

Celta Vigo 2-1 Osasuna (4/25) – La Liga

Osasuna 3-1 Valencia (4/21) – La Liga

Osasuna 2-0 Elche (4/18) – La Liga

Villarreal 1-2 Osasuna (4/11) – La Liga

Osasuna 0-0 Getafe (4/3) – La Liga

Real Madrid vs. Osasuna prediction

Although some people would look at these two teams and say that Real Madrid should win this game handily, Los Blancos will be in for a fight. Osasuna have only lost one of their last five matches, and although it was their most recent match, they still boasted an impressive win over likely Europa League finalists Villarreal last month.

Real have some key absences that will factor into this game, and that’s not even including the need to rest the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. This is a team that struggles without Kroos and Modric, though they did somewhat buck that trend with a 3-0 win over Cadiz.

More to the point, Los Blancos struggle against highly defensive La Liga sides, and Osasuna fit the bill. In their earlier meeting, Osasuna held them to a 0-0 draw. And for Los Blancos, another 0-0 draw is just like a loss, as there is no margin for error in the title race now. Real Madrid already made their slip-ups against Getafe and Real Betis, and, surely, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid won’t each give them two gifts.

Expect Real to step up to the plate and just edge out a win against Osasuna. They may only need one goal to do it.

Prediction: Real Madrid 1-0 Osasuna