FC Barcelona lost its first LaLiga match in 2024/25 against Osasuna (4-2). Hansi Flick opted for a totally alternative XI, with a very young defense (with the exception of Jules Koundé) and an unprecedented offensive trident, with Pau Víctor and Ferran Torres accompanying Robert Lewandowski. In the end, the culés gave too many facilities in the background and, beyond reacting in the complement, they fell fairly at El Sadar.
In that sense, the Barça team, in addition to being undefeated, wasted their first great opportunity to take off at the top of LaLiga. Barça arrived at matchday 8 with four points ahead of Real Madrid and six points ahead of Atlético. The Madrid teams will face each other in the derby on Sunday, so the culés had a good chance of increasing the difference over both if they had won in Pamplona.
However, Barça's defeat against the 'rojillo' team opens the door for the 'White House' to be within 'shot' of first place if they defeat 'Aleti' in the Metropolitano. The task will not be, by any means, easy for Carlo Ancelotti's men, as they must visit the only stadium in which they were defeated last season (they fell in the League and Cup). Barça, for its part, must quickly turn the page and focus on Tuesday's duel against Young Boys in the Champions League, where Hansi Flick's men are forced to win after losing on matchday 1 in Monaco (2-1).
Lewandowski also missed a 'golden' opportunity for the Pichichi
Another who missed a good opportunity in terms of personal statistics against Osasuna was Lewandowski. The Pole could extend his advantage in the LaLiga scoring table, leading with 6 goals, one more than Raphinha and Kylian Mbappé. With Bondy out for at least three weeks, 'Lewy' has a chance to distance himself from Pichichi, but he couldn't make a difference in El Sadar beyond having had two clear chances in the second half.
Both the '9' and Jules Koundé are the only players in the Barça squad who have started every game this season. However, it is unlikely that the forward will leave the XI in the duels against Young Boys and Alavés. The one who does have a good chance of having, at least, a break on Tuesday is Koundé, since the defender has played every possible minute in 2024/25.