Osasuna vs Racing de Santander preview - Osasuna aiming to end hoodoo

Posted Sunday, March 13, 2011 by PA

Osasuna removed one millstone from around their neck with last week's victory over Malaga, and now the Pamplona outfit will be looking to rid themselves of another against Racing Santander.

Osasuna made the trip to Malaga without an away win in over a year - losing 19 of 21 league matches on the road - and they were easily the worst travellers in the Primera Division this season.

However, at the 14th attempt in the current campaign, Osasuna were finally able to celebrate a victory away from their Reyno de Navarra stadium thanks to an injury-time winner from centre-back Sergio Fernandez.

Now, Osasuna will be keen to follow that up with a triumph over Racing - something they have not managed since 2005.

Since that encounter six years ago, Racing have beaten Osasuna in 10 of 13 league and cup meetings.

It is a poor record but Osasuna captain Patxi Punal hopes they can change it, saying: "In Malaga we broke one statistic and, to be honest, I'd prefer to be playing Racing than Barcelona.

"We know it's going to be tough and difficult, but if we do things well we have a good chance of winning. It's a great opportunity to put a little distance between us."

Osasuna's success over Malaga was their second win in four games since Jose Luis Mendilibar took over as coach and it left them in 15th spot, three points above the relegation zone and one behind Racing.

Racing are also doing well under their new boss, with Marcelino Garcia Toral guiding the team to seven points in his first three matches.

Marcelino suffered his first defeat last weekend though, with Racing losing 3-1 at home to Real Madrid.

Looking ahead to the northern derby, Marcelino said: "It's another tough match for us and it will be played at a frenetic pace."