On Saturday, two teams that have had cause to celebrate in the cup but are on thin ice in La Liga will face each other at the Estadio El Sadar: Osasuna, in sixteenth place with 15 points, and Alavés, in twelfth place, just three points behind. The home side are coming off a 4-2 extra-time win in Huesca in the Copa del Rey, while the visitors are coming off a win over Sevilla, decided by Vicente’s penalty, so both are riding high on fresh cup joy. In the league, however, the picture is uneven and the table is tight, with only three points separating the two, so this duel could quickly tip the mood around both teams. In their last league meeting on the final matchday of last season, Alavés and Osasuna drew 1-1, and before that there had been a 2-2 draw at El Sadar, a pattern of close games, often with goals after the break. Osasuna goes into this match with only one league win in its last five games. Barcelona exposed the limitations of this team with a 2-0 win despite a decent defensive performance, and the club admits that the fight for survival will be a tough process, especially with Boyomo away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Alavés, under Eduardo Coudet, has also suffered several league losses, but their passionate performance against Real Madrid and their cup victory against Sevilla suggest that they may be competitive sooner than expected.
- Venue: Estadio El Sadar, Pamplona
- Date and time: December 20, 2025, 6:30 p.m.
- Competition: La Liga (matchday 17)
Osasuna’s 4-2 win in the cup in Huesca, as well as Alavés’ goal against Real Madrid and their narrow victory against Sevilla, point to comparatively open games. The absence of Boyomo due to the Africa Cup of Nations further weakens the hosts’ defense, making Over 2.5 goals, Both teams to score: Yes, and Osasuna or Draw, i.e. 1X, all well-founded options.
Osasuna Form & Record Check
Osasuna come into this game with a mixed but slightly upward trend in all competitions. In their last five games, they have had three wins, one draw, and only one defeat in Barcelona, where a Brazilian brace helped Barça to a 2-0 win against a disciplined but harmless Rojillo team. In between, they drew 2-2 at Mallorca and beat Levante 2-0 in La Liga, as well as winning 5-3 at Ebro and 4-2 at Huesca after extra time in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga itself, the situation looks less comfortable, with Osasuna in 16th place in the table with 15 points, just one point behind Real Sociedad and level on points with Valencia, which keeps them just above the real panic zone but in the thick of the battle to avoid relegation. The fact that Braulio Vázquez has publicly stated that he would sign with blood if safety only came on the last matchday shows that developments are somewhat behind internal expectations. The trend in recent games is striking, with all five ending with more than one goal, and in 80% of them Osasuna scored themselves while also conceding goals. The cup games, with a 5-3 win at Ebro and a 4-2 win in Huesca, underscore that offensive power and defensive vulnerability currently go hand in hand; perhaps this openness is more suited to knockout football than the grueling demands of the league. Recent encounters also demonstrate how important Torró, Rubén García, and Budimir remain. In Huesca, Budimir and Osambela were decisive in extra time, with assists from Rubén García and Torró. Rotations with Herrando and Barja suggest a bench that can make an impact, but Benito’s long-term injury and Boyomo’s departure for the Africa Cup of Nations are putting additional strain on a defense that the club actually wanted to strengthen in January.
Osasuna are expected to stick with Alessio Lisci’s predicted 4-2-3-1 formation, with Aitor Fernández in goal, Rosier, Herrando, Catena and Bretones in defense, Torró and Iker Muñoz in midfield, Oroz between the lines behind Budimir, flanked by Becker and Moi Gómez. With Iker Benito out long term and Boyomo away at the Africa Cup of Nations, rotation options could be limited, particularly on the wings and in defense.
Alaves Form & Record Check
Alavés travel to Pamplona with a clear contrast between league and cup form. In La Liga, they have slipped into a run of one win and four defeats in their last five games, leaving them in 12th place with 18 points, just one point behind Elche and level on points with Rayo Vallecano. Their goal difference remains negative, so the table suggests mediocrity, even if their actual performances might seem less comfortable than this position suggests. However, the picture is more positive in all competitions, with three wins from their last five games, including a 3-0 win in Portugalete and a 1-0 win against Real Sociedad, which showed that they can control tight games at Mendizorroza. They were competitive against Real Madrid in a 2-1 defeat, creating clear chances and equalizing at one point, which probably exceeded expectations for Xabi Alonso’s team. The narrow 1-0 win against Sevilla in the Copa, decided by a penalty from Carlos Vicente, reinforces this impression of resilience. Vicente had already scored against Real Madrid, so he arrives in clear form and gives Coudet a reliable finisher at an important stage of the season. This cup success and the earlier clean sheet in Portugalete suggest that the team responds well in knockout contexts. Statistically, Alavés go into this game without a draw in their last five games and with at least one goal in each of those games, which makes them very binary in terms of results. In four of those games, there was no more than one goal in the first half, so the games tend to open up later on. Defensively, Garcés’ long suspension significantly limits Coudet’s rotation options in central defense.
Osasuna – Alaves Head-to-Head & Statistics
Osasuna has the slight upper hand in the last five head-to-head matches, with two wins, two draws, and one defeat. In La Liga alone, they are unbeaten in four games against Alavés, with two wins followed by two draws. Alavés’ only success in this series came in a friendly in 2024, so the Navarrese have clearly had the upper hand in competitive games. Osasuna scored at least one goal in each of these five games, while Alavés conceded in all of them. In total, there were at least two goals in four of the encounters and no more than three in four, so the results mostly remained within a moderate range. The two most recent La Liga duels in May 2025 and 2024 ended 1-1 and 2-2, with goals scored by both sides in each case. The starts between the two teams tend to be cautious, with none of these five encounters seeing more than one goal in the first half, and four of them remaining well below one and a half goals at the break. After the break, the picture changes, with Osasuna scoring in the second half in four consecutive games and not losing a single game against Alavés in this period. Alavés’ difficulties tend to lie in the closing stages, conceding goals after the break in four consecutive games and never managing to gain the upper hand in this phase, while Osasuna can boast a run of three second-half wins, a detail that both Coudet and Lisci are likely to have in mind and which could tempt the visitors to pace themselves more consciously after the break.
