Preview: Ebro vs Osasuna - prediction, team news, lineups

La Liga outfit Osasuna will head on their travels for Tuesday's Copa del Rey clash against fourth-tier Ebro.

The match will take place at Real Zaragoza's Ibercaja Stadium because their usual ground does not meet the competition's requirements.

Match preview

Ebro are looking forward to facing top-flight opposition after coming through a nervy tie against third-tier side Tarazona in the first round of the Copa del Rey.

The fourth-tier outfit played out a 1-1 draw at the Ibercaja Stadium, where the tie went to extra time and then penalties.

Ebro ultimately held their nerve to prevail 4-3 in the shootout and set up a meeting with two-time Copa del Rey runners-up Osasuna.

In regard to their league campaign, Ebro have found wins hard to come by in Group 2 of the Segunda Federacion, having recorded two victories, eight draws and three defeats in 13 matches.

Javier Genoves's side have at least avoided defeat in their last three outings, following a 1-0 win over Basconia with draws against Real Zaragoza B and Deportivo Alaves B.

They have proven to be a strong defensive unit this season, but they may struggle to trouble Osasuna at the opposite end of the pitch, having failed to score more than one goal in 13 of their 14 games across the league and Copa del Rey.

Osasuna, meanwhile, will hope that this is the season where they end their wait for Copa del Rey glory after falling short in their final appearances in 2004-05 and 2022-23.

They kicked off their cup campaign with a resounding 5-0 victory against sixth-tier Sant Jordi, largely thanks to a Raul Garcia hat-trick.

Unfortunately for Los Rojillos, that result represents their only win in the past six competitive matches, having taken just two points from their last two league games.

They would have at least been pleased with their efforts in Saturday's away clash against Mallorca, as they fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw at Son Moix.

However, they are battling to preserve their top-flight status with just one point separating them from the bottom three in La Liga.

Osasuna will put their relegation battle on hold to focus on the Copa del Rey, as they look to avoid a second-round exit for the first time since 2018-19.

Ebro Copa del Rey form:

Ebro form (all competitons):

L D L W D D

Osasuna Copa del Rey form:

Osasuna form (all competitions):

L L D L L D

Team News

Ebro are expected to line up with Mateo Lite between the posts, with the goalkeeper expected to be busy against La Liga opposition.

The shot-stopper could be shielded by a back four made up of Ivan Perez, Javi Hernandez, Hector Espierrez and Nacho Uche.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Kevin Soeiro will have the difficult task of leading the line against the club where he played as an academy player.

As for the visitors, they remain without Valentin Rosier and long-term absentee Iker Benito, who are sidelined with hamstring and ACL injuries respectively.

Forward Inigo Arguibide will be available for selection after being suspended for Saturday's draw with Mallorca.

Alessio Lisci is expected to make wholesale changes for the contest, with the Osasuna boss likely to name a similar lineup to the one that started the first-round clash against Sant Jordi.

Ebro possible starting lineup:

Lite; Perez, Hernandez, Espierrez, Uche; Charlez, Munoz, Novials, Reques, Lobede; Soeiro

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Fernandez; Serrano, Herrando, Osambela; Moncayola, Echegoyen, Munoz, Cruz; Barja, Gomez, Garcia

We say: Ebro 0-3 Osasuna

Lisci is expected to rotate his side for the second-round tie, but no matter what XI he decides to field, his team should still have the quality to claim a comfortable victory over their lower-league opponents.