The Pamplona side are fluctuating between wins and defeats, while newly promoted Elche are surprising everyone with nine points and a respectable sixth place in the table. On Thursday, Osasuna welcomes the still undefeated visitors to Estadio El Sadar for a duel that could reveal more about the early season trends. The hosts are in 13th place with six points, recently showing their weaknesses again in a 2-1 defeat at Villarreal, when Valentin Rosier was shown a red card in the 40th minute. Elche, on the other hand, are looking more stable with three draws from their last five games and a narrow 1-0 win over Oviedo on Saturday. The history between the two clubs clearly favors the home side: Elche have failed to win in five meetings, Osasuna have won twice, and the last duel in April 2023 ended 2-1 for the Navarrese. It is noteworthy that all previous encounters have produced goals, but most have been low-scoring with fewer than 2.5 goals. Elche will be without the long-term injured Yago Santiago, who is not expected back until December, while Osasuna will have a full squad at their disposal, as Rosier’s sending-off against Villarreal in the league will not result in a suspension.
- Venue: Estadio El Sadar, Pamplona (Iruñea)
- Date and time: 09/25/2025, 7:30 p.m.
- Competition: Primera División (Matchday 6)
Osasuna form & record check
Osasuna’s current form can only be described as mixed. Two wins from their last five league games doesn’t sound too bad at first, but the defeats show a worrying pattern. The recent 2-1 defeat at Villarreal in particular highlighted the problems facing Alessio Lisci’s team. Osasuna led Villarreal 1-0 at halftime thanks to Budimir’s penalty, but Rosier was sent off with a second yellow card in the 40th minute. Down to ten men, the team fell apart and conceded two late goals to Mikautadze and Gueye. This defeat was symptomatic of a team that is unable to hold on to its leads. At home, Osasuna shows different qualities. The 2-0 win against Rayo Vallecano was convincing, as was the narrow 1-0 win against Valencia. Away from home, however, a different reality emerges, with defeats in Madrid against Real and at Espanyol highlighting the Navarrese’s difficulties in foreign stadiums. A striking feature of the season so far has been defensive stability in the first half. Osasuna has not conceded a goal in the first half of its last five games. At the same time, however, it lacks punch, rarely scoring more than two goals per game. With six points after five matchdays, the team is level on points with Atletico Madrid, but only one point ahead of Rayo Vallecano in 13th place in the table.
Coach Alessio Lisci is likely to stick with his tried-and-tested 3-4-3 system. Sergio Herrera will be between the posts, while the back three could consist of Boyomo, Catena, and Juan Cruz. Torró and Moncayola are expected to partner in central midfield. Rosier and Bretones could provide width on the wings. In attack, everything points to a trio of Rubén García, Budimir, and Víctor Muñoz. With Aimar Oroz and Sheraldo Becker, there are two strong alternatives on the bench.
Elche CF Form & Record Check
Elche’s form is currently remarkably stable, even if the results are not always spectacular. Eder Sarabia’s team has remained unbeaten in its last five league games, picking up two wins and three draws. Particularly noteworthy is that Elche has scored in every game during this period, which speaks for a certain effectiveness in attack. The recent 1-0 home win against Oviedo was typical of Elche’s current style of play. André Silva scored early on, and the team then managed the result professionally. The team often seems to get off to a slow start, with four of the last five games seeing few goals in the first half. It is usually after the break that the pace picks up and the team becomes more dangerous in front of goal. The 2-2 draw in Seville just under two weeks ago underlined the team’s resilience. The draw against Atlético Madrid also demonstrated their mental maturity. This consistency is also reflected in the table: with nine points, Elche are in sixth place, level on points with Real Betis behind them and just one point behind Athletic Club. However, coach Sarabia will have to do without Yago Santiago, who has suffered a serious knee injury. In Rafa Mir, however, Elche has a reliable striker whose precision in front of goal has been impressive recently. The defense is also solid, even if they have conceded twice in a row recently.
Coach Eder Sarabia is likely to field his team in the tried-and-tested 3-1-4-2 formation. In the back three, Affengruber could play between Núñez and Bigas, while Mendoza is likely to be positioned as the lone defensive midfielder in front of the defense. In midfield, Josan and Valera are likely to start on the wings, supported by Martim Neto and Febas in the center. André Silva and Rafa Mir, who have recently developed good chemistry, could form the attack. The absence of Yago Santiago is a heavy blow for the visitors. The winger will be out for months with a cruciate ligament rupture, which is why Sarabia will have to resort to other options such as Diangana or the aforementioned players. Peña is considered a sure bet between the posts.
H2H Osasuna – Elche CF Head-to-head comparison & statistics
The head-to-head record between Osasuna and Elche shows clear dominance by the home side. In the last five meetings between 2021 and 2023, Elche failed to win a single game, while Osasuna won twice. The remaining three games ended in draws. The most recent encounter in April 2023 was a high-scoring affair, with Osasuna triumphing 2-1 at home in El Sadar. This result broke a streak of three consecutive draws, all of which ended 1-1. Osasuna had previously celebrated a 2-0 home win against Elche in April 2021. A striking pattern characterizes these duels: Osasuna scored at least once in all five encounters, while the visitors from Elche conceded at least one goal in each of these games. Nevertheless, four of the five games remained below the 2.5-goal mark, suggesting defensively-minded encounters. The first half of four of the five games saw few goal-scoring opportunities, with usually no more than one goal before the break. Both teams often neutralized each other in these direct comparisons, with Osasuna usually capitalizing on the decisive moments.
The odds of 1.60 for under 2.5 goals seem quite attractive, considering that both Osasuna and Elche have scored fewer than three goals in four of their last five league games. All of the last five games for both teams ended with fewer than 1.5 goals at halftime, suggesting a tough start to the game. The absence of Yago Santiago further weakens Elche’s creativity. Nevertheless, other factors favor “Both teams to score: Yes” at odds of 2.00: Mir has scored three times in four games, while Elche has scored at least one goal in every league game this season. Osasuna has kept a clean sheet only twice in its last ten games, which underscores Elche’s scoring chances. Perhaps the boldest tip is an away win at 4.33, as the visitors are still unbeaten and Osasuna have lost three of their last five league games. While the betting markets see Osasuna as clear favorites at 1.95, Elche’s form and Mir’s goal threat could spring a surprise, especially as the hosts have not drawn a single game in their last five.
