Osasuna vs Espanyol Prediction: El Sadar Set for Open, Goal-Filled Draw

Osasuna host Espanyol at El Sadar on 12 September 2026 in La Liga Round 5, with both clubs in similar mid table territory after four games: Osasuna eighth on seven points, Espanyol twelfth on four. Osasuna are coming off a chastening 2-5 defeat to Alavés and need a response, while Espanyol arrive looking to end a winless run after drawing 1-1 with Sevilla last time out. This is exactly the kind of September fixture that tends to be scrappier than the scoreline suggests and with injury problems on both sides, neither team looks particularly solid right now.

The managerial angle is genuinely odd: Luis Miguel Ramis, who now manages Osasuna, previously managed Espanyol, where Manolo González replaced him. They don't have a deep head to head record as opposing managers but the familiarity cuts both ways, with Ramis knowing exactly how González likes to set up and González knowing the kind of team Ramis wants to build.

Osasuna's last four league games went L-W-W-D, which flatters them given the 2-5 hammering by Alavés that exposed serious defensive problems, their best result being a 1-0 win over Getafe. Espanyol have gone D-L-L-W, so their form is worse on paper but the 1-1 draw with Sevilla suggests they can compete when set up right.

Osasuna are without Moi Gómez and Valentin Rosier through injury and both Jorge Herrando and Aimar Oroz are doubts with muscle and hamstring problems, neither expected back until around 26 September. Losing four players across midfield and defence at once will push Ramis toward a Budimir reliant approach than he might prefer. Espanyol aren't much healthier: Javi Puado is out until late September with a cruciate injury, Kike García is sidelined with a longer term hamstring complaint and Andoni Gorosabel is a doubt through mid September. Losing Puado hurts most, as he was their main outlet in behind and without him González has fewer ways to threaten on the counter.

Osasuna line up in a 4-2-3-1 with Iker Muñoz screening the back four and Rubén García supplying Budimir from deep. Ante Budimir is the main target from set pieces and crosses with three goals already this season and with Gómez out and doubts over Oroz and Herrando, he will carry even more of the attacking burden here. Espanyol run a similar shape but in a more pragmatic, counter first mode, with Roberto Fernández leading the line and already matching Budimir's three goal tally, making him the most dangerous forward on the pitch when Osasuna's defensive line is high. The absence of Rosier on Osasuna's right flank is particularly relevant here, exactly the kind of vacancy a team built to exploit transitions will target. The individual battles worth watching are Budimir against Espanyol's centre backs from crosses and corners, Fernández against Osasuna's exposed full backs on the break and whether Rubén García can consistently unlock Espanyol's midfield block.

Espanyol have the better of this fixture recently, winning two of the last five meetings to Osasuna's one and they did the double over Osasuna in 2025/26, winning 1-0 at home and 2-1 at El Sadar.

Budimir in the air from a corner is where Osasuna are most dangerous and Espanyol's defensive absences make them more vulnerable to it than usual, whereas Espanyol will try to spring counters instead. Osasuna will likely press hard from the first whistle after the Alavés result, which opens space for Fernández in behind if Espanyol can play through it.

This looks like a 2-2. Osasuna's home advantage and set piece threat should get them on the board early, probably through Budimir from a cross or corner but the gaps left by their injuries give Espanyol a way back in through Fernández's movement. With Espanyol hitting on the break and Osasuna's vertical play creating chances at the other end, neither side is solid enough right now to hold a lead and both have enough going forward to score twice.