Positive record at the always difficult El Sadar

El Sadar is one of the most feared stadiums for any FC Barcelona fan. The matches between Osasuna and Barça in Pamplona are almost always marked by vibrant and intense exchanges that demand the most of FC Barcelona’s players. Barça’s largest margin of victory at the Navarre grounds in its 34 visits is only 0-3 (2010/11 and 1998/99).

12 victories, 11 draws and 11 defeats

Despite Osasuna’s strength at home, Barça have come away with 12 victories and 11 draws. The Navarre side claimed the three points against the Azulgranas on 11 occasions.

The most recent battle between the two sides conjures up painful memories for almost every Culé. Last season, the team managed by Pep Guardiola were deprived of victory when Osasuna claimed a 3-2 victory at El Sadar. The blow proved crippling as much of the team’s title hopes hinged on winning the three points that evening. Barça’s defeat came on February 11, it was the last game the team lost away from the Camp Nou that season.

Cup victory

At the start of the year, on January 11, Barça visited El Sadar for the first time in the 2011/12 season. The Azulgranas clinched a spot in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey by beating Osasuna by 1-2 (goals from Alexis and Sergio Roberto). The victory, however, had a bitter aftertaste: Andreu Fonàs tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was sidelined for the rest of the season.

This Sunday, Tito Vilanova’s Barça return to Pamplona with the goal of beating a team that grows in ferocity when urged on by the hostile and packed stands of El Sadar.