Osasuna looks to make it successive wins to start the season as they host Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. Los Rojillos opened their season with a 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo. Athletic suffered a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in their first game of the new campaign at San Mames.
Preview (Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao)
Osasuna had a strong 2022–23 La Liga season. They earned 53 points from 38 games to place seventh in the standings. As a result, they go to the Europa Conference League knockout round. The opening leg of Jagoba Arrasate’s team’s two-leg match against either Club Brugge or KA will take place next week. In their opening game of the 2018 La Liga season, Osasuna defeated Celta 2-0. Raul Garcia, Alejandro Garcia, Jose Manuel Arnaiz, and Johan Mojica are the four players Los Rojillos have signed this summer. Kike Garcia, Aridane Hernandez, Diego Moreno, and Iker Benito have left the team.
It will be exciting to see what the Copa del Rey finalists from the previous season can accomplish in 2023–24. Athletic’s policy of exclusively signing Basques makes it tough for them to bolster their roster each season. They have added Real Sociedad B’s Javier Marton and Mallorca’s seasoned midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta. Inigo Martinez, a seasoned center-back, went on a free transfer to Barcelona. They were able to retain crucial attackers Nico Williams and Inaki Williams.
Although they were two points behind Osasuna in seventh place in La Liga when the Lions finished eighth, they are currently three points behind their opponents on Saturday. In fact, Ernesto Valverde’s team lost to Real Madrid 2-0 in their season opener at San Mames. Goals from Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham for the capital powerhouses. Athletic lost 2-0 against Osasuna in the comparable game in the 2022–23 season. They only managed to steal one point from them in the previous campaign.
Team News
Due to a chronic knee ailment, Osasuna will once again be without the services of midfielder Darko Brasanac, but the hosts are otherwise in excellent condition going into this game. Aimar Oroz and Lucas Torro should both start in midfield, while Ruben Garcia, who scored last time out, should hold his berth down the right. For Athletic, Yuri Berchiche, Dani Garcia, and Yeray Alvarez were sidelined against Real Madrid due to injury issues, and it looks like they will be sidelined once more in this situation. Oihan Sancet and Alex Berenguer might perhaps enter the lineup, although head coach Valverde is expected to resist the urge to make a complete lineup change.
Iker Muniain and Unai Gomez were both removed from the game against Real Madrid during the half, and they can now sit on the bench for the team’s upcoming fixture. Given the lack of significant differences in skill between the two sides, this has all the makings of being a very interesting encounter. It wouldn’t be surprising to see an away win or even a draw in this match, but we just have a feeling that Osasuna will use its home-field advantage to take the three points.
Osasuna 1 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
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