Real Madrid will be bidding to begin their 2025-26 La Liga campaign with a victory when they head to El Sadar Stadium on Tuesday night to tackle an Osasuna side that will again be targeting a top-half finish this term.
Los Blancos finished second in La Liga last season, four points behind the champions Barcelona, while Osasuna were ninth, level on points with eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano, who qualified for Europe.
Match preview
Osasuna boasted a record of 12 wins, 16 draws and 10 defeats from their 38 league matches last season, with 52 points seeing them finish ninth in the table, level on points with eighth-placed Rayo, who qualified for the Conference League playoff round.
Los Rojillos are in their seventh straight season at this level of football, and they will be targeting at least a top-half spot once again, while a push for Europe cannot be ruled out, but it has been a very quiet transfer window.
Indeed, Alessio Lisci's side have only added two players to their squad, signing Victor Munoz from Real Madrid, while Valentin Rosier has been brought in on a free transfer from Leganes.
Jesus Areso has been Osasuna's biggest exit, making the move to Athletic Bilbao, while Pablo Ibanez, Ruben Pena and Unai Garcia have also been notable departures this summer.
Lisci's team played five times during pre-season, recording one victory, with that success coming in their final friendly of the summer against Mirandes earlier this month.
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso on June 18, 2025
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have only played one friendly, recording a 4-0 victory over WSG Tirol, with Eder Militao and Rodrygo on the scoresheet, while Kylian Mbappe came up with a brace.
Los Blancos took part in the 2025 Club World Cup, reaching the semi-finals, but their tournament ended in disappointment, suffering a 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, who lost to Chelsea in the final.
Xabi Alonso's side have brought four new players to the squad this summer, signing Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Franco Mastantuono.
Real Madrid have a big task on their hands when it comes to finishing above Barcelona in La Liga this season, and the Catalan outfit already have three points on the board, beating nine-man Mallorca 3-0 on Saturday night.
Los Blancos were second in La Liga last season, four points behind the champions Barcelona, and there is pressure on Alonso to oversee a challenge for all of the major trophies during the 2025-26 campaign.
Real Madrid have not lost to Osasuna in La Liga since January 2011, demonstrating the size of the away team's task, but it was 1-1 when the two teams last locked horns in February 2025.
Real Madrid pre-season form:
W
Osasuna pre-season form:
DLLLW
Team News
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger on June 26, 2025
Real Madrid will be without the services of Antonio Rudiger through suspension, with the centre-back's six-game domestic ban from the end of last season carrying into the first game of 2025-26.
Jude Bellingham and Endrick are also out of the match through injury, while Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga are likely to miss out due to fitness issues, so Alonso has selection problems for this first match.
Dani Ceballos is being linked with a departure, but the Spaniard may be needed in midfield here if Federico Valverde is unable to prove his fitness, while there could be La Liga debuts for Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen and Carreras at the back.
Franco Mastantuono is in line to make his debut following his arrival from River Plate, but with Rodrygo's future still unclear, Brahim Diaz could be given the nod alongside Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in the final third of the field.
As for Osasuna, Ruben Garcia and Iker Benito will both face late fitness tests to determine whether they can be involved in the opening match of the new campaign.
Rosier is in line to make his debut at right-back, but Munoz's first appearance is likely to come off the bench, with Moi Gomez potentially given the nod down the left.
Ante Budimir had an excellent 2024-25 campaign, finding the back of the net on 21 occasions in La Liga, and he will once again feature in the final third of the field for Los Rojillos.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Guler, Tchouameni, Valverde; Brahim, Mbappe, Vinicius
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Rosier, Catena, Boyomo, Bretones; Torro, Moncayola, Oroz; K Barja, Budimir, M Gomez
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We say: Real Madrid 2-0 Osasuna
Osasuna are capable of making this a tricky match for Real Madrid, and we are expecting it to be relatively close in terms of the scoreline. However, Los Blancos should have more than enough quality to start their season with a win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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