The round 18 match of the La Liga between Osasuna and Athletic Club will take place on 3 January at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona. Osasuna vs Athletic Club: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Osasuna
Osasuna are gradually improving their league position; after a six-match winless run in La Liga the home side collected themselves and have won two of their last three matches. Before the break in the championship the hosts comfortably defeated Alaves (3:0) at El Sadar. That was the club's first La Liga rout of that opponent since May 2024. As a result, the home side have climbed to 12th place. However, the bottom half of the table is very tight, so the gap from the relegation zone is only three points.
- Osasuna's uncompromising home run in the Spanish championship lasts five games (3 wins, 2 defeats).
- At least two goals have been scored in five consecutive La Liga matches involving the club.
- The team has been prolific across 29 matches at home in this competition.
Potential Osasuna Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Sergio Herrera – Valentin Rosier, Alejandro Catena, Jorge Herrando, Abel Bretones – Jon Moncayola, Lucas Torro – Victor Munoz, Aimar Oroz, Ruben Garcia – Ante Budimir.
First-choice defender Abel Bretones is suspended. Another defensive player, Enzo Boyomo, has left to join his national team for the Africa Cup of Nations. Midfielder Iker Benito is unavailable due to injury.
Athletic Club
Athletic Club alternated wins and defeats for over a month in La Liga, but that pattern was broken in the last round: Athletic Club, as the clear favourite, lost to Espanyol (1:2) at home and thus failed to secure points in a second consecutive La Liga match. As a result, Athletic Club dropped to eighth place in the table, having played one game more than some rivals. The gap from the European places increased from two to five points.
- At least two goals were scored in five of the club's last six La Liga matches.
- The visitors' uncompromising run in this competition has reached nine matches (3 wins, 6 defeats).
- Athletic Club conceded in six of their previous eight away league games.
Potential Athletic Club Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Unai Simon – Andoni Gorosabel, Inigo Lekue, Aitor Paredes, Adama Bojoro – Mikel Hauregizar, Inigo Ruiz De Galarreta – Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet, Alex Berenguer – Inaki Williams.
First-choice defender Dani Vivian has completed a suspension. Injuries rule out defenders Yuri Berchiche, Aymeric Laporte and Unai Nunez, midfielders Benjat Prados and Robert Navarro, and forward Maroan Sannadi.
Referee
Jose Luis Munuera (Spain)
Matches – 8 (the La Liga, 2025/26);
Shown yellow/red cards (including second yellows) – 30;
Average yellow/red cards per match – 3.8;
Shown red cards – 5;
Fouls per match on average – 29;
Penalties – 0%.
Osasuna Vs Athletic Club: Match Prediction
The home side overcame a difficult autumn period; over the past month they have improved and lost only one of their last four La Liga matches, with the sole defeat in that stretch coming away at Barcelona (0:2). Home fixtures have traditionally been far better than away ones: it is enough to say that in the current La Liga season the hosts have collected 18 points, 16 of which were won at El Sadar. The home side have avoided defeat in 10 of their last 12 league matches at home, with nine of those 12 ending in victory for the hosts.
Athletic Club remain out of form; in the last 10 La Liga rounds they have only three wins and six defeats. On the road during that period the visitors beat only struggling Levante (2:0). Apart from that match, in seven previous away La Liga games the club managed just one point, recording a goalless draw with Elche.
At the moment the hosts look more convincing than their opponent, so our prediction is Osasuna Or Draw.
Prediction: Osasuna Or Draw
* The starting lineup shown for each team is from its previous match in this competition.
