La Liga Matchday 12 brings a defensively fragile Osasuna up against an in form Athletic Bilbao at Estadio El Sadar on 7 November 2026. Osasuna sit 15th with 11 points from 11 games, a run of poor results leaving them hovering near the drop zone, whereas Athletic occupy seventh on 15 points from 10 matches and arrive on the back of three straight wins, pushing for European qualification while the hosts need to stop the bleeding.
Jagoba Arrasate returned to Osasuna on 12 October 2026, replacing Luis Miguel Ramis, while Edin Terzic took charge of Athletic on 1 July 2026 after replacing Ernesto Valverde. Terzic's early months have brought a clear shift toward high intensity pressing that differs from Valverde's more measured approach, so this first meeting between the two in their current roles is genuinely interesting: two coaches still working each other out, with no previous encounters in these roles to settle who holds the edge.
Osasuna arrive with a sequence of L-L-W-L-L, their most recent outing ending in a 1-2 home defeat to Deportivo La Coruña on 2 November 2026, while losses to Sevilla (0-2) and Real Betis (2-5) in October exposed persistent defensive frailties that Arrasate has not yet managed to fix. Athletic, by contrast, are unbeaten across their last three matches, including a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on 1 November and a 4-0 hammering of Getafe in late October.
Osasuna must cope without Aimar Oroz (hamstring), Jorge Herrando (injury) and Romain Del Castillo (groin), absences that leave the squad light in both midfield and defence. Athletic are without Maroan Sannadi (hamstring), Gorka Guruzeta (ACL) and Unai Eguiluz (ACL), with Oihan Sancet a doubt who will undergo a late fitness test. The long term losses of Guruzeta and Eguiluz have already forced Athletic to adapt their forward line, yet the squad has maintained form through collective pressing rather than individual brilliance, which against an Osasuna side this depleted is probably all they need.
Osasuna typically set up in a 4-3-3 and without Oroz and Del Castillo their ability to transition quickly is reduced, leaving Moncayola to cover ground in front of the back four and García as the sole link to Budimir. Budimir will be asked to hold up play against Athletic's centre backs, likely Vivian and Laporte and his aerial ability at set pieces is Osasuna's most reliable route to goal.
Athletic operate in a 4-2-3-1 built around high intensity pressing, with Nico and Inaki Williams providing direct pace driven threat down both flanks, if they drag Osasuna's full backs wide, Berenguer has room to operate centrally. Unai Simon's reliability in goal allows Terzic to push his defensive line higher than most managers would dare and the central battle between Budimir and Athletic's back two will ultimately decide whether Osasuna can relieve pressure at all.
Athletic are unbeaten in six straight La Liga meetings with Osasuna, winning three and drawing three, with the two most recent encounters finishing 1-0 to Athletic in April 2026 and 1-1 in January 2026. Athletic have also won 11 of their 22 visits to El Sadar since 1997/98, a record that sits comfortably alongside their current form.
Osasuna's physical approach and set piece organisation are probably their best chance of scoring, with Budimir's aerial record from corners making him their most reliable dead ball target. Athletic's forward absences limit their own dead ball threat to some extent, though their press has repeatedly forced turnovers in the opposition's half this season, something Osasuna's depleted midfield is poorly equipped to prevent. The narrow pitch at El Sadar should suit Athletic's pressing game, limiting Osasuna's space to manoeuvre.
Athletic Bilbao to win 2-1. The Williams brothers against Osasuna's makeshift full backs is the matchup that decides this and Athletic's press should prevent the kind of patient build up Osasuna need to stay in games. Osasuna may nick a goal through a set piece or Budimir's hold up play but three clean sheets in four away games suggests Athletic's defensive structure is solid enough to absorb whatever Osasuna build toward Budimir.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
