Last Updated on April 20, 2026 9:41 am by ZUWP Automation
Three wins in their last three meetings — but Osasuna’s only victory in this fixture came just four months ago, and Athletic’s form has crumbled since
Athletic Club arrive at their own ground on Tuesday carrying the weight of three defeats in their last five La Liga matches. Osasuna, meanwhile, have not won in five. Something has to give — but the form lines suggest this fixture could be as much about avoiding further damage as claiming three points.
Match Details
- Fixture: Athletic Club vs Osasuna
- Venue: San Mamés Barria
- Date: 21 April 2026
- Competition: La Liga 2025/26
Current Form
Athletic’s summary tells its own story: 1W 1D 3L in their last five. The defeats have come with a particular bleakness — a 0-2 home loss to Villarreal on 12 April, a 0-1 away defeat at Getafe before that, and a 0-1 loss at Girona in March. Their one bright moment was a 2-0 home win over Real Betis on 22 March, sandwiched between the losses. The 0-0 draw at home to FC Barcelona on 7 March looks more like a stay of execution in hindsight than a platform to build from.
Three of their five recent defeats came without scoring a single goal. For a side hosting at San Mamés, that is a troubling return. The crowd can lift Athletic, but not if the attacking intent isn’t there.
Osasuna’s recent run is, in its own way, equally uninspiring: 0W 3D 2L in their last five. They have not won since before this five-match sequence began. The draws — 1-1 at home to Real Betis, 1-1 away at Deportivo Alavés, 0-0 at home to Girona — have a functional, defensive quality to them. The two losses, 0-2 at Real Sociedad and 0-1 at home to Mallorca, showed the limits of what Osasuna can do when they are forced to chase the match.
The contrast in form is almost symmetrical in its dysfunction. Neither side arrives with momentum. What separates them may come down to individual quality — and on that front, the two squads are not equal.
Key Players to Watch
Athletic Club
Gorka Guruzeta is Athletic’s most important attacking threat by some distance. Seven goals and 60 shots in 30 league appearances, with 24 shots on target and an average of 2.2 attempts per game. He has created 5 big chances for teammates and won 95 duels. His aerial presence — 56 aerial duels won from the LaLiga data — makes him a constant physical problem for any centre-back pairing.
Mikel Jauregizar is the engine in midfield. His 57 tackles place him 26th in La Liga out of over 1,000 players tracked, and he has completed 1,062 passes this season. He combines that defensive output with 21 key passes and 2 goals — a box-to-box presence Athletic rely on heavily in both phases. His avg rating of 6.86 across his appearances reflects consistent, high-level contribution.
Oihan Sancet provides the creative spark from midfield. Three goals, 40 shots, and 24 key passes in 24 appearances. He gets into good positions at volume — 59 touches in the opposition box — and his 25 key passes in the Sportmonks aggregate underline his importance as a chance creator. He is the kind of player who can unlock a low-block.
Osasuna
Ante Budimir is the standout figure in this fixture. Sixteen goals in 30 La Liga appearances makes him the 6th highest scorer in the division, trailing only a small group that includes Kylian Mbappé. His 80 total shots and 32 on target show a striker who demands constant attention. He has won 102 aerial duels and drawn 32 fouls. Against an Athletic defence that has conceded in three of its last five, Budimir represents a genuine threat.
Víctor Muñoz has been Osasuna’s most consistent outfield performer. Six goals and 2 assists from 31 appearances, with 63 shots and 23 on target. His avg rating of 6.76 in the Sportmonks aggregate reflects how regularly he contributes. He and Budimir form a front-line that Athletic cannot afford to switch off against, even in a match where both sides are struggling for form.
Rubén García is Osasuna’s most creative player, with 5 assists and 7 big chances created in 28 appearances. His 34 shots created across the season and consistent presence in dangerous areas make him the link between midfield and attack. If Osasuna are going to unlock Athletic’s backline, it will likely run through García.
Season Stats Comparison
The individual quality gap between the two sides’ top scorers is the most striking headline from the season-long numbers. Budimir’s 16 goals rank 6th in La Liga; Guruzeta’s 7 rank 43rd. Osasuna’s goalkeeper Sergio Herrera leads the way with 103 saves, ranked 7th in the division — a figure that tells you as much about how much Osasuna have been asked to defend as it does about Herrera’s quality. Unai Simón has made 88 saves for Athletic, ranked 14th.
| Stat | Athletic Club | Osasuna |
|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Guruzeta — 7 goals (43rd in La Liga) | Budimir — 16 goals (6th in La Liga) |
| Top Assister | I. Williams — 2 assists (199th) | Rubén García — 5 assists (30th) |
| Top Goalkeeper (saves) | Unai Simón — 88 (14th) | Sergio Herrera — 103 (7th) |
| Top Tackler | Jauregizar — 57 (26th) | Javi Galán — 32 (171st) |
| Top Passer | Jauregizar — 1,062 (73rd) | Lucas Torró — 797 (180th) |
| Top Chance Creator | Guruzeta — 5 big chances created (158th) | Aimar Oroz — 4 big chances created (183rd) |
Athletic’s midfield clearly dominates the passing and tackling metrics — Jauregizar’s numbers dwarf anything Osasuna can offer in that department. But Osasuna’s attacking output, led by Budimir and supported by García’s creativity, is sharper at the top end. The question is whether Athletic’s midfield control can suppress Osasuna’s forward threat before Budimir finds a way through.
Head to Head
The recent record between these sides is tighter than Athletic’s home advantage might suggest. In their last three meetings, Athletic have won none, Osasuna have won one, and two have ended level. The head-to-head arithmetic: 0 Athletic wins, 1 Osasuna win, 2 draws from 3 meetings.
The most recent encounter, on 3 January 2026, ended in a 1-0 win for Osasuna — with Athletic as the away side, playing at Osasuna’s ground. It was a result that will have stung, and it frames Tuesday’s fixture at San Mamés as an opportunity for Athletic to restore some local pride in this rivalry. That said, a side without a win in five and struggling to score will not find the psychological edge easy to exploit.
Team News & Injuries
Both squads arrive without any reported injuries. Athletic and Osasuna will each have a full complement available for selection, which removes any convenient excuses for either side going into a match where results are badly needed.
Closing Paragraph
Two sides without a win between them across the last five matches, a head-to-head record that offers Osasuna genuine belief, and a striker in Budimir who has scored 16 times in a league where Athletic’s top man has managed seven. San Mamés provides the atmosphere, but Athletic must provide the performance — and nothing in their recent form guarantees they can. The question Tuesday answers is whether Athletic can rediscover the attacking intent that has deserted them, or whether Osasuna’s resolute structure and Budimir’s predatory instincts extend Athletic’s misery on their own pitch.