Real Madrid go head-to-head against Osasuna in LaLiga on Saturday at El Sadar, as Alvaro Arbeloa’s team chase a ninth successive top-flight win.
Osasuna vs Real Madrid – Match preview and team news
- Date: Saturday, 21st February.
- Kick-off: 5:30pm BST.
- Venue: Estadio El Sadar, Pamplona.
Osasuna team news
The hosts are without Iker Benito, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury and has been ruled out for the rest of the season, removing an important wide option from Lisci’s squad.
Central defender Flavien (Enzo) Boyomo is also expected to miss out with an ankle problem, leaving Osasuna slightly lighter in terms of depth at the back.
Lisci confirmed Enzo “doesn’t make it” for this one, but said Víctor Muñoz, Rubén García and Iñigo (who all had minor muscular issues in the week) will be available after their workloads were carefully managed, while Jon Moncayola is “perfect” for the game.
Ante Budimir remains Osasuna’s biggest attacking threat, with 11 league goals so far and 13 in all competitions, underpinning their climb away from the bottom half.
Real Madrid team news
In terms of absentees, Real Madrid remain without Jude Bellingham, who is sidelined by a hamstring injury and not expected back until April, depriving Arbeloa of one of his key goalscoring midfielders.
Centre-backs Eder Militao (tendon) and Dean Huijsen (muscle) are also out, while Rodrygo is unavailable with a hamstring problem, limiting Madrid’s options both in defence and in attack.
Kylian Mbappe, who sat out the win over Real Sociedad with knee discomfort but was fit enough for the bench, is expected to lead the line and currently tops the LaLiga scoring charts with 23 goals.
Arbeloa has underlined both the difficulty and importance of this fixture, stressing that “they have gone two months without losing at home” and calling Osasuna “a team in excellent form”, while describing the three points at El Sadar as “very important”.
Form
Osasuna
Osasuna come into Matchday 25 in 10th place with 30 points from 24 games (8 wins, 6 draws, 10 defeats), five points off the European spots and firmly clear of the relegation battle.
Alessio Lisci’s side are in excellent domestic form, unbeaten in their last five LaLiga fixtures with three wins and two draws, part of a six-match unbeaten run in all competitions. They recently drew with Elche (0-0) in their last league outing.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid travel to Pamplona as LaLiga leaders, with 60 points from 24 games (19 wins, 3 draws, 2 defeats), two clear of Barcelona and boasting the division’s best defence. They arrive off the back of a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad, in which Vinícius Júnior scored twice from the penalty spot, with Gonzalo García and Fede Valverde also on target to send Madrid top of the table.
Predicted lineups
Osasuna: Herrera; Rosier, Herrando, Catena, Galan; Torro, Moncayola; Ruben Garcia, V Munoz, Oroz; Budimir
Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Guler; Mbappe, Vinicius
How to watch Osasuna vs Real Madrid?
In the UK, Osasuna vs Real Madrid will be shown live on Premier Sports 2.
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