Osasuna host Levante at El Sadar on 24 August 2026 and the backdrop is uncomfortable for both clubs: 17th and 16th last season, zero points so far and desperate for a first win. Osasuna's MD1 fixture against Celta Vigo was postponed, so this is actually their home opener, which gave Luis Miguel Ramis extra time to work with his squad. Levante arrive still stinging from a 0-3 hammering by Espanyol on the opening weekend, needing to show that Castro's system can hold up better than it did there.
Osasuna ended 2025/26 on a five game losing run that raised real questions about their attacking output, even as the defensive shape held together and their preseason offered little clarity on how Ramis's methods have taken hold. Levante survived last season under Castro before being torn apart in transition against Espanyol on opening weekend and a second straight defeat would leave them three points from safety after just one game.
Both squads are fully available, with Osasuna naming Ante Budimir, who scored around 17 goals last campaign, behind a midfield spine of Aimar Oroz, Jon Moncayola and Iker Munoz. Levante start with Etta Eyong and Victor Garcia up front, with Aissa Mandi and Adrian de la Fuente at centre back.
Osasuna are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, with Budimir's hold up play as the main outlet and their defensive block doing the work of denying Levante space to build through. Ramis wants El Sadar to feel like a difficult place to visit and against a side still shipping goals from transitions, that shape may be enough. Levante prefer to play through the thirds and press high but the 0-3 defeat to Espanyol showed how quickly they can come undone on the break. The central question is whether Eyong and Garcia can find pockets in behind Osasuna's midfield, or whether Moncayola and Munoz can win the midfield battle quickly enough to stop Levante building any momentum. Budimir against Mandi and de la Fuente is the individual matchup to watch and if the striker is isolated, Osasuna lose their main route to goal in open play. This is also the first time Ramis and Castro have faced each other at this level, so neither manager has prior information on how the other responds to tactical problems mid game.
Osasuna have the better of the historical record and the most recent meetings were close: Levante won 3-2 in May 2026 before Osasuna responded with a 2-0 home win in December 2025 and Levante have not won back to back games against them since 2014.
Both sides are likely to sit deep enough that open play chances could be scarce and with shot volume expected to be low, set pieces may end up deciding things. Mandi is Levante's best aerial option at corners and with both squads fully fit, any substitutions Ramis and Castro make will be shaped by tactics rather than necessity.
Osasuna's defensive structure looks hard enough to break that Levante, still rebuilding after the Espanyol defeat, will struggle to find a way through. Castro's possession based approach causes problems but the visitors' transition issues make it hard to trust them in a game where one mistake could settle it. Neither side looks likely to gamble in the early weeks of the season and the head to head pattern at El Sadar points toward a goalless draw.
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?.
