Osasuna vs Espanyol - prediction, team news, lineups

Sunday evening’s LaLiga fixture astatine El Sadar pits 2 sides level connected 42 points against each other, with Osasuna and Espanyol some knowing that the last 2 games of the play could yet find their top-flight future.

Separated lone by extremity quality successful 13th and 14th respectively, Manolo Gonzalez's broadside get connected the backmost of a confidence-boosting 2-0 triumph implicit Athletic Bilbao, portion Alessio Lisci's side have mislaid 3 consecutive matches and are successful hopeless request of a response.

Match preview

Osasuna caput into Sunday’s lucifer sitting 13th successful the La Liga table with 42 points from 11 wins, 9 draws and 16 defeats, and a extremity quality built connected 43 scored and 47 conceded crossed 36 matchdays.

With lone 4 points separating 11th spot from 19th, the last 2 games of the play are thing but a formality, and the six points inactive disposable could yet find who drops retired of the apical formation erstwhile the particulate settles.

Lisci’s men person been considerably much dependable astatine El Sadar than distant from it, posting 9 location wins alongside 5 draws and 4 defeats compared to conscionable 2 victories connected the roadworthy each season, and back-to-back location fixtures correspond an accidental they cannot spend to squander.

Recent signifier has been profoundly concerning, however, with Osasuna having won conscionable erstwhile successful their past 5 matches portion suffering 4 defeats, including 3 consecutive losses that person near them looking anxiously implicit their enarthrosis astatine the sides beneath them.

The astir caller of those defeats came astatine location against Atletico Madrid, a 2-1 successful which Kike Barja’s 90th-minute consolation did small to soften the stroke for the location supporters.

Unless Lisci tin apprehension that descent immediately, Osasuna hazard being dragged into a relegation conflict that looked distant conscionable a period ago, and Sunday’s fixture could not person travel astatine a much pivotal moment.

Espanyol get successful a near-identical situation, sitting 14th connected the aforesaid 42 points from 11 wins, 9 draws and 16 defeats, though their extremity quality is somewhat inferior, 40 scored and 53 conceded, which leaves them beneath their hosts.

Gonzalez’s broadside person besides struggled connected the roadworthy this season, collecting conscionable 4 wins, 5 draws and 9 defeats distant from location for a instrumentality of 17 points connected their travels.

Form crossed the past 5 matches has been likewise inconsistent, with Espanyol having won once, drawn erstwhile and mislaid 3 times successful that play - though the timing of that solitary triumph could beryllium significant, coming arsenic it did successful their astir caller outing.

A 2-0 location triumph implicit Athletic Bilbao, sealed by substitute goals from Pere Milla and Kike, volition person lifted spirits successful the Espanyol campy and fixed Gonzalez’s players a assurance boost up of this important distant trip.

That triumph sealed an affectional archetypal triumph of 2026 for Gonzalez and his squad, marking their archetypal 3 points successful 143 days since a 2-1 triumph implicit Athletic Club successful December 2025.

The head-to-head grounds offers small separation either, with Espanyol having claimed a 1-0 triumph successful the astir caller gathering astatine their ain ground, portion crossed the past 5 encounters, Osasuna person won two, Espanyol one, and 2 matches person ended successful a draw.

Osasuna La Liga form:

Espanyol La Liga form:

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Team News

Osasuna volition beryllium without Victor Munoz, who is sidelined with a calf wounded up of Sunday’s fixture.

Ante Budimir volition transportation the top extremity menace for the hosts, with the striker having netted 17 goals successful 2,773 minutes this play - including 5 headed goals and 12 large chances converted and posing a peculiar information from adjacent scope and acceptable pieces.

Ruben Garcia is Osasuna’s main creator from wide, starring the broadside with 5 assists portion besides delivering 71 corners and creating 21 close crosses passim the campaign.

Espanyol volition beryllium without Cyril Ngonge, who is nursing a knock, portion Javi Puado has been absent since January pursuing a cruciate ligament injury.

Eduardo Exposito is the visitors’ astir important originative outlet, having registered six assists and completed 311 passes into the punishment country this season, and his quality to dictate the tempo of Espanyol’s play volition beryllium cardinal to their chances astatine El Sadar.

Gonzalez volition anticipation the assurance drawn from the triumph implicit Athletic Bilbao carries over, with the attacking players who came disconnected the seat to seal that triumph perchance pushing for starting roles connected Sunday

Osasuna imaginable starting lineup:

Fernandez; Rosier, Boyomo, Catena, Galan; Moncayola, Torro; Garcia, Gomez, Moro; Budimir

Espanyol imaginable starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; Romero, Cabrera, Riedel, El Hilali; Roca, Lozano, Gonzalez de Zarate, Sanchez; Fernandez, Exposito

We say: Osasuna 1-0 Espanyol

Sunday’s fixture has each the hallmarks of a tense, nervy matter betwixt 2 sides who cannot spend to lose, and that desperation is apt to nutrient a cagey 90 minutes with fewer wide openings astatine either end.

Osasuna’s grounds astatine El Sadar has been their top plus each season, and facing an Espanyol broadside that has won conscionable 4 times connected the roadworthy this season, the hosts should borderline a choky contention to support their endurance hopes firmly successful their ain hands.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.