FC Barcelona must win against Osasuna today in order to remain in top contention for the La Liga trophy.


After defeating Almeria 3-1, defending champions Real Madrid have maintained their leadership in the table with nine maximum points from three matches, putting them three points ahead of their closest rivals, second-placed Valencia who have six points from three matches. Third is Mallorca with four points, same as FC Barcelona but with a superior goal difference over Barca. Barcelona will have a difficult opportunity to close the gap tonight away at Pamplona, where the Catalan giants will attempt to shoot down home team Osasuna who have a traditionally complex game pattern, attitude and technique. But this will be the toughest test for the Blaugrana this early season, as the need for a win is clear-cut. Should Barca fail to win, clubs like Sevilla will likely over-step the Blaugrana in the league standings, as the highly rated Sevilla still have two games at hand and just one point behind FC Barcelona.