Overview
Osasuna ended last season with 12 wins, 16 draws and 10 losses after 38 rounds, earning 52 points and finishing in 9th place in the rankings. They have the same score as Rayo Vallecano - the 8th team and qualified for the Europa Conference League play-off.
This is the seventh consecutive season Osasuna have been in La Liga. The goal of coach Alessio Lisci's team is still to maintain their position in the top half of the rankings. At the same time, they also hope to qualify for the European Cup, despite having gone through a rather quiet transfer period.
The Pamplona team has only added two new players, Victor Munoz from Real Madrid and Valentin Rosier, as free agents from Leganes. On the other hand, Jesus Areso joined Athletic Bilbao, while Pablo Ibanez, Ruben Pena and Unai Garcia also left the team this summer.
In the pre-season, Osasuna played 5 matches and only had 1 win. That was the last friendly match against Mirandes in early August.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid only played one friendly match before the season and won 4-0 against WSG tirol. Eder Militao and Rodrygo both scored, while Kylian Mbappe scored a double.
After that, Los Blancos participated in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 but stopped in the semi-finals when they lost 0-4 to Paris St-Germain.
In the summer transfer window, coach Xabi Alonso welcomed 4 new players. Including Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold and young talent Franco Mastantuono.
Real Madrid's goal this season is nothing other than to overcome Barcelona to win the La Liga championship, while conquering all major titles.
Last season, they finished second with 4 points less than Barca. The Catalan giants started the 2025-2026 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Mallorca.
Real Madrid are unbeaten against Osasuna in La Liga since January 2011, showing absolute dominance. However, in the most recent encounter in February 2025, the two teams were unbeaten with a score of 1-1.
Personnel situation
Real Madrid will enter the opening match of La Liga 2025-2026 without the service of Antonio Rudiger due to suspension, which has lasted since the end of last season.
Jude Bellingham and Endrick are injured, while Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga are also uncertain to return due to fitness problems. At the moment, Xabi Alonso has a headache in terms of personnel.
Dani Ceballos - a player rumored to be about to leave - will likely be used in midfield in case Federico Valverde is not at his best.
In defense, rookie Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras could debut in La Liga. Franco Mastantuono is also ready for his debut, while Rodrygo's uncertain future could open up the opportunity for Brahim Diaz to start alongside Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in attack.
On the Osasuna side, Ruben Garcia and Iker Benito will wait for the last-minute physical test to determine their ability to play. New signing Valentin Rosier is almost certain to start at right-back, while Victor Munoz will likely be used from the bench.
Moi Gomez could take up the starting position on the left wing. Ante budimir - the striker who scored 21 goals in La Liga last season - continues to be Los Rojrosros' number one hope in attack.
Expected lineup:
Real Madrid: Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras, Guler, Tchouameni, Valverde, Brahim, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Osasuna: Herrera, Rosier, Catena, Boyomo, Bretones, Torro, Moncayola, Oroz, K. Barja, Budimir, M. Gomez.
The match between Real Madrid and Osasuna takes place at 2:00 am on August 20 (Vietnam time).
