
Getafe vs Osasuna Preview
Osasuna will look to continue their recent resurgence on Sunday when they make the trip to Getafe.
The Pamplona club picked up just one point from their opening three games and a repeat of last season, when they had to wait until week 12 for their first victory, looked on the cards.
However, they have now recorded back-to-back victories over Real Valladolid and Sporting Gijon and they will be hoping to make it a hat-trick of wins tomorrow to further boost self-belief ahead of some difficult upcoming matches against the likes of Barcelona, Valencia and Atletico Madrid.
In-form winger Juanfran said: "I almost can't remember when we last won three successive games. Beating Getafe would be fantastic for us to gain more confidence, to improve our position in the standings and to help us believe that we are in a good moment and can do even better."
Osasuna have not had the best of fortune at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez down the years however, winning just one of their five visits to the ground and suffering a 3-0 defeat in last season's corresponding fixture.
"It's one of the most difficult grounds in the Primera Division," admitted Juanfran, who learnt his trade just up the road from Getafe at Real Madrid.
"Firstly because the playing surface is strange, secondly because they have always had good teams and thirdly because we have never done well there.
"Therefore we have to go there with the attitude that it is not an easy ground to play at.
"This year Getafe like to play in such a way that brings with it certain risks, which we can take advantage of on the counter-attack."
Osasuna coach Jose Antonio Camacho welcomes back defender Sergio Fernandez after suspension and he takes Roversio's place in an 18-man travelling party for the trip to the capital.
Otherwise Camacho has kept faith with the same group of players that faced Valladolid and Sporting, with Ludovic Delporte, Dady, Jokin Esparza and Javier Portillo again missing out, along with Cesar Azpilicueta who is still on international duty with Spain at the Under-20 World Cup.
Getafe's 3-0 home win in week 35 went a long way to helping the club avoid relegation last season.
That was coach Michel's first victory in what was his second game in charge after replacing Victor Munoz, and sparked a return of eight points from the final four games of the season that allowed Getafe to escape the drop by the skin of their teeth.
Getafe have had a mixed start to this campaign, claiming impressive wins over Racing Santander (4-1) and Valencia (3-1) but losing their other matches against Barcelona, Almeria and Real Zaragoza.
This weekend's encounter will see Getafe hitman Roberto Soldado face his old club and the twice-capped Spain international has been giving his team-mates some tips on who to be wary of in the Osasuna side.
"Aside from the strikers, (Walter) Pandiani and (Carlos) Aranda, a key player for Osasuna is Juanfran, who is a bullet on the right wing. Without Azpilicueta, who is a great defender, I think these are the three players we have to be most careful of," he said.
Like Azpilicueta, Getafe midfielder Dani Parejo is away on Spain Under-20 duty, but Fabio Celestini should shake off a knock to be fit in time for the game.
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