La Liga | Gameweek 38

May 24, 2025 at 8pm UK

Estadio de Mendizorroza

Alaves vs Osasuna

Match preview

Alavés will enter Saturday's contest with a sense of relief after winning three of their last five matches, thereby preserving their top-flight status with one game remaining.

After edging out Real Sociedad and holding Atlético Madrid to a hard-fought goalless draw, Alavés fell just short in their 1-0 away loss to Athletic Bilbao.

They quickly bounced back, though, with a 1-0 home win over Valencia, and repeated that scoreline in Sunday's away clash against relegated Real Valladolid.

Kike García's 18^(th)-minute penalty was enough to secure all three points at the Estadio José Zorrilla, ensuring Alavés' place in the top flight and guaranteeing that they will compete in their third consecutive top-flight campaign.

Eduardo Coudet's side can also take pride in the fact that they have kept four clean sheets in their last five matches and have not conceded more than one goal in any of their previous eight games since losing 2-0 to Rayo Vallecano at the end of March.

Alavés will be aiming to end the season on a high by claiming a third consecutive victory, but that may be easier said than done given that they have lost each of their previous six home games against Osasuna since securing a 3-0 victory in October 2015.

Osasuna are preparing for their second managerial change in as many years after Vicente Moreno announced earlier this month that he would be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Moreno has overseen two positive results since making his announcement, including a 2-0 victory over third-placed Atlético Madrid at El Sadar.

Osasuna repeated that scoreline in Sunday's meeting with relegation-threatened Espanyol, with Ante Budimir and Raúl García scoring a goal apiece to secure a fourth consecutive home victory. This leaves them level on points with eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano, who have the advantage in the head-to-head standings.

The ninth-placed side are also just a point away from seventh-placed Celta Vigo, meaning they could qualify for the Europa League or Conference League — or miss out on Europe altogether.

While there are a number of possible outcomes, Osasuna will try to maximise their chances by claiming all three points. However, their hopes may be dented by the fact that they have won just two of their 18 La Liga away games this season (D9, L7).

Los Rojillos do, however, boast a strong record against Alavés, having won eight and drawn two of their last 10 head-to-head meetings and kept clean sheets in seven of those victories.

Recent Performance

Alaves La Liga form:DWDLWW

Osasuna La Liga form:WWLDWW

Team News

The hosts will still be without central defender Abdel Abqar, who has missed the last six matches due to a calf injury.

Moussa Diarra is doubtful for the final match of the season, having sat out the last two games with a broken nose.

Veteran forward Kike García is set to lead the line against his former club, and the striker will be looking to add to his tally of 13 league goals this season.

Osasuna will be unable to call upon Kike Barja, whose substitute appearance on Sunday was cut short due to a muscle injury.

Moreno could opt for consistency in his final game in charge by selecting the same team that started the win over Espanyol.

Budimir will be hoping to add to his impressive tally; he has scored in each of the last three games, taking his total to 21 goals in 37 La Liga appearances.

Possible starting lineup

Alaves possible starting lineup:

Sivera; Tenaglia, Garces, Mourino, Sanchez; Blanco, Guevera; Vicente, Guridi, Alena; Kike

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Herrera; Areso, Boyomo, Catena, Cruz; Torro, Ibanez; R. Garcia, Oroz, Zaragoza; Budimir