Athletic Club face crucial European test at buzzing El Sadar
Osasuna host Athletic Club in a pivotal La Liga clash as the Navarrese side look to distance themselves from the relegation zone while Valverde's men chase European spots.
Osasuna welcome Athletic Club to a bubbling El Sadar in their first fixture of 2026, with both sides desperate for points for very different reasons.
Battle of contrasting ambitions
The first Saturday of January brings us a proper tasty clash in Pamplona as 12th-placed Osasuna look to continue their upward trajectory against an inconsistent Athletic Club side. The hosts will be buzzing after their victory over Alaves, which has helped them establish some breathing room from the drop zone with 18 points to their name.
Meanwhile, Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic are sitting 8th in the table on 23 points and can’t afford another slip-up if they want to keep their European dreams alive. The Bilbao outfit are coming off a disappointing defeat to Espanyol and need to get back to winning ways before they pack their bags for the Spanish Super Cup.
Form guide
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Osasuna: The Navarrese side have found some form recently, with their win against Alaves providing a welcome boost as they look to put more distance between themselves and the relegation scrap.
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Athletic Club: Inconsistency has been the name of the game for Los Leones, who have struggled to string together results despite showing flashes of brilliance. Their recent defeat to Espanyol was a proper blow to their European aspirations.
Watch live
Football fans can catch this La Liga clash live on Movistar LaLiga at 16:15 local time on Saturday, January 3rd. Radio coverage will also be available on Radio MARCA, with live updates on MARCA.com.
This fixture has all the makings of a proper barnstormer as both sides have everything to play for – Osasuna fighting to secure their top-flight status while Athletic aim to keep their European hopes alive. El Sadar is expected to be absolutely rocking for this one.