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

Sunday evening’s LaLiga fixture at El Sadar pits two sides level on 42 points against each other, with Osasuna and Espanyol both knowing that the final two games of the season could yet determine their top-flight future.

Separated only by goal difference in 13th and 14th respectively, Manolo Gonzalez's side arrive on the back of a confidence-boosting 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, while Alessio Lisci's side have lost three consecutive matches and are in desperate need of a response.

Match preview

Osasuna head into Sunday’s match sitting 13th in the La Liga table with 42 points from 11 wins, nine draws and 16 defeats, and a goal difference built on 43 scored and 47 conceded across 36 matchdays.

With only four points separating 11th place from 19th, the final two games of the season are anything but a formality, and the six points still available could yet determine who drops out of the top flight when the dust settles.

Lisci’s men have been considerably more dependable at El Sadar than away from it, posting nine home wins alongside five draws and four defeats compared to just two victories on the road all season, and back-to-back home fixtures represent an opportunity they cannot afford to squander.

Recent form has been deeply concerning, however, with Osasuna having won just once in their last five matches while suffering four defeats, including three consecutive losses that have left them looking anxiously over their shoulder at the sides below them.

The most recent of those defeats came at home against Atletico Madrid, a 2-1 in which Kike Barja’s 90th-minute consolation did little to soften the blow for the home supporters.

Unless Lisci can arrest that slide immediately, Osasuna risk being dragged into a relegation battle that looked distant just a month ago, and Sunday’s fixture could not have come at a more pivotal moment.

© Imago

Espanyol arrive in a near-identical situation, sitting 14th on the same 42 points from 11 wins, nine draws and 16 defeats, though their goal difference is slightly inferior, 40 scored and 53 conceded, which leaves them below their hosts.

Gonzalez’s side have also struggled on the road this season, collecting just four wins, five draws and nine defeats away from home for a return of 17 points on their travels.

Form across the last five matches has been similarly inconsistent, with Espanyol having won once, drawn once and lost three times in that period - though the timing of that solitary victory could prove significant, coming as it did in their most recent outing.

A 2-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao, sealed by substitute goals from Pere Milla and Kike, will have lifted spirits in the Espanyol camp and given Gonzalez’s players a confidence boost ahead of this crucial away trip.

That victory sealed an emotional first win of 2026 for Gonzalez and his squad, marking their first three points in 143 days since a 2-1 triumph over Athletic Club in December 2025.

The head-to-head record offers little separation either, with Espanyol having claimed a 1-0 win in the most recent meeting at their own ground, while across the last five encounters, Osasuna have won two, Espanyol one, and two matches have ended in a draw.

Osasuna La Liga form:

Espanyol La Liga form:

Team News

© Imago / ZUMA Press Wire

Osasuna will be without Victor Munoz, who is sidelined with a calf injury ahead of Sunday’s fixture.

Ante Budimir will carry the greatest goal threat for the hosts, with the striker having netted 17 goals in 2,773 minutes this season - including five headed goals and 12 big chances converted and posing a particular danger from close range and set pieces.

Ruben Garcia is Osasuna’s chief creator from wide, leading the side with five assists while also delivering 71 corners and creating 21 accurate crosses throughout the campaign.

Espanyol will be without Cyril Ngonge, who is nursing a knock, while Javi Puado has been absent since January following a cruciate ligament injury.

Eduardo Exposito is the visitors’ most important creative outlet, having registered six assists and completed 311 passes into the penalty area this season, and his ability to dictate the tempo of Espanyol’s play will be central to their chances at El Sadar.

Gonzalez will hope the confidence drawn from the win over Athletic Bilbao carries over, with the attacking players who came off the bench to seal that victory potentially pushing for starting roles on Sunday

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Fernandez; Rosier, Boyomo, Catena, Galan; Moncayola, Torro; Garcia, Gomez, Moro; Budimir

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; Romero, Cabrera, Riedel, El Hilali; Roca, Lozano, Gonzalez de Zarate, Sanchez; Fernandez, Exposito

We say: Osasuna 1-0 Espanyol

Sunday’s fixture has all the hallmarks of a tense, nervy affair between two sides who cannot afford to lose, and that desperation is likely to produce a cagey 90 minutes with few clear openings at either end.

Osasuna’s record at El Sadar has been their greatest asset all season, and facing an Espanyol side that has won just four times on the road this season, the hosts should edge a tight contest to keep their survival hopes firmly in their own hands.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.