Osasuna vs Real Madrid: Predicted Line-ups as Leaders Head to El Sadar
Real Madrid travel to Pamplona as La Liga leaders but with fresh injury concerns. Here's how both sides are expected to line up.
Real Madrid make the trip to El Sadar this afternoon (18:30 local time) sitting top of La Liga — but Álvaro Arbeloa’s side have a late fitness scare to contend with before kick-off.
The Huijsen blow
The big news coming out of Madrid’s camp is that Dean Huijsen has been ruled out after missing training on Friday and failing to travel to Pamplona with the squad. The young centre-back has picked up a calf injury, which is also casting a doubt over his availability for the Champions League tie against Benfica next Wednesday. Bit of a worry, that.
On top of Huijsen, Arbeloa is still without Militão, Bellingham, and Rodrygo — so it’s not exactly a full squad to choose from.
How Real Madrid are likely to line up
Despite the absentees, Arbeloa is expected to largely stick with the side that won in Lisbon earlier this week. The main change is forced — Asencio slots in alongside Rüdiger at the heart of defence. The German has been a proper breath of fresh air since returning from injury, and his partnership with Asencio will be tested against Osasuna’s physical forward line.
In midfield, without Bellingham, the setup has looked more structured and compact — Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Valverde, and Güler forming a four that’s been working a treat. Up front, Vinicius and Mbappé continue as the main threat.
Expected Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Trent, Asencio, Rüdiger; Tchouaméni, Valverde, Camavinga, Güler; Vinicius, Mbappé.
Osasuna in fine form
Osasuna are no mugs right now, mind. Vicente Moreno’s replacement, Lisci, has them on a five-game unbeaten run and sitting on 30 points — not a bad place to be heading into a home game against the league leaders. The atmosphere at El Sadar is always lively, and they’ll fancy their chances of nicking something here.
Their only absentee is Boyomo, which is a notable miss given how much pace Vinicius and Mbappé carry. Losing a defender with that specific threat in mind is hardly ideal for the hosts.
Expected Osasuna XI: Sergio Herrera; Rosier, Catena, Herrando, Javi Galán; Torró, Moncayola; Rubén García, Aimar Oroz, Víctor Muñoz; Budimir.
What to watch
- Can the Asencio-Rüdiger partnership hold firm against Budimir’s physicality?
- Vinicius has been on a proper roll lately — Osasuna’s backline will have their plates full
- Güler in a more prominent midfield role is one of the more intriguing subplots of this post-Bellingham period
- El Sadar on a Saturday evening is always a proper atmosphere — don’t sleep on an Osasuna upset
Real Madrid will want the three points to keep the pressure on at the top, but this is far from a gimme. Osasuna away is always a tough day out.