Osasuna vs Reus Deportiu Predictions

The Copa del Rey 2nd Round takes place this week and it sees all of the Spanish Segunda Division teams enter the competition. The slightly unusual system ensures that all second tier sides are drawn to play one another and it’s the first step on the road to the last 32, when the big guns from La Liga enter the competition. Osasuna are the clear favourites to win this particular tie against Catalan side Reus.

Both teams currently have identical records of 4 points from 4 games in the Spanish second tier. Osasuna’s season only really got up and running at the weekend when they claimed their first victory in the shape of a 3-1 win over Almeria at the Estadio El Sadar. They are hungry to make a real push for promotion, having dropped out of La Liga in 2017 and having only narrowly missed out on the play-offs last term.

Reus meanwhile are more likely to be involved in the battle near the bottom end of the table. They may treat this as a game where they have very little to lose but will want a response after a poor showing at the weekend. They were beaten 2-1 at home by Albacete, a team they managed to finish above last term.

Overall, this match should turn out in favour of the hosts. With rotation likely in both camps, that should favour Osasuna, who have greater strength in depth, with some remnants of their top flight squad still remaining. They left proven Segunda Division performers like Roberto Torres and David Rodriguez on the bench at the weekend and the ability to bring in experienced players like that is one that Reus don’t really have.

Reus have been knocked out at this stage in each of the last two years and the cup isn’t really a priority for small clubs like them, as they aim to establish themselves in Spain’s top two tiers and avoid the drop back to what is essentially the semi-professional Segunda B.

They have conceded 2 or more goals in 4 of their last 6 competitive games too so they aren’t the toughest side to break down. Osasuna are certainly better than their return of 1 point from their first 3 matches this term suggests and they finally showed that at the weekend. They should take confidence from their 3 goals and backing Osasuna Over 1.5 Goals looks like it could be worth a punt here.