🏏 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 19:30 CEST
Osasuna
vs
Levante UD
4-4-2 vs 4-3-3
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Levante arrive at El Sadar in urgent need of a response after a 3-0 defeat at Espanyol on the opening weekend left them 19th with zero points and a goal difference of -3. Failing to score while conceding three makes this a test of how quickly the problems have been patched up, and with leaders Sevilla already on six points from two games, Levante cannot afford to fall further adrift.
- Two men in Osasuna colours face their old club. Rubén García, the 33-year-old left-footed wide man, came through Levante's academy and has since piled up more than 300 La Liga appearances, and he starts here with his trademark cut-inside shooting and delivery from wide areas. Behind him on the bench sits Aitor Fernández, 35, for years Levante's first-choice goalkeeper.
- The reunion runs the other way too: Levante left-back Manu Sánchez knows El Sadar intimately after several loan seasons with Osasuna. The 26-year-old Atlético Madrid academy product, currently on loan from Celta Vigo, is only 171cm but built his La Liga education in Pamplona and offers aggressive overlaps and accurate left-footed crosses down that flank.
- The shape battle is Osasuna's 4-4-2 against Levante's 4-3-3, meaning a four-versus-three in central midfield. Aimar Oroz, the 24-year-old No.10, supplies through balls and shots from range, with 23-year-old Iker Muñoz and the 189cm Moncayola doing the reclaiming. Levante counter with a technical trio: left-footed Jon Ander Olasagasti of Real Sociedad stock, La Masia graduate Oriol Rey, and Lille-schooled Frenchman Enzo Bardeli.
- Set pieces and aerial duels look like Osasuna's clearest edge. Ante Budimir, the 190cm Croatia international, leads the line at 35, and the back four contains Catena at 194cm, Jorge Herrando at 190cm and Abel Bretones at 188cm. Levante's centre-back pairing of Aïssa Mandi (34, Algeria, 181cm) and Dela (179cm) must rely on positioning and covering to bridge that height gap.
- The flanks offer contrasting profiles. Levante hand the right-back berth to Nacho Pérez, born in 2008 and a Valencia youth product who made his senior debut at 17, and he must handle experienced operators such as 32-year-old Moi Gómez, a Europa League winner with Villarreal, and Rubén García. On the other side Osasuna's 21-year-old academy full-back Íñigo Arguibide deals with left-footed dribbler Brugui and 22-year-old Argentine Thiago Cruz, schooled at Vélez Sarsfield.
- Having drawn a blank in round one, Levante badly need their forwards to click. Iván Romero, 25, is a Sevilla academy graduate who earned a permanent move after a productive loan at Tenerife; at 172cm he thrives on penalty-box instincts and runs in behind. Cameroon international Etta Eyong, who scored 19 goals for Villarreal B, waits on the bench as the explosive change of pace.
- The goalkeeping duel is a study in contrasts. Osasuna's Sergio Herrera, 33 and 192cm, is dependable dealing with crosses and high balls, while Levante field 34-year-old Australia international Mat Ryan, whose career has taken in Arsenal, Brighton, Valencia, Real Sociedad, Genk and Club Brugge. Ryan's sweeper-keeper instincts will be examined by Osasuna's direct play and set-piece bombardment.
- Both benches carry genuine game-changers. Osasuna can call on 192cm striker Raúl García, a Copa del Rey winner at Real Betis, 31-year-old Raúl Moro with Lazio and Ajax on his CV, and one-club captain Kike Barja, who joined at the age of eight. Levante keep back 167cm left-footed creator Carlos Álvarez, a La Liga Promises MVP with a Europa League medal, plus Jeremy Toljan, 32, formerly of Borussia Dortmund and Celtic.