La Liga Preview: Valencia Seeks Continuation of Rebound After First Win, Osasuna Shows Extreme Home and Away Contrast

On September 25 at 1 AM, in the 7th round of La Liga, Valencia will host Osasuna at the Mestalla Stadium.

As one of the former powerhouses of La Liga, Valencia has fallen to a mid-to-lower table team in recent years, finishing 3 times in 9th place, once in 13th, and once in 14th over the past five seasons. Osasuna, on the other hand, has finished twice in 10th, once in 7th, once in 9th, and once in 11th. This summer, Osasuna underwent a managerial change, while Valencia lost key players like Mamardashvili, and both teams faced integration issues at the start of the season.

Valencia had a poor start to the season with one draw and four losses in their first five rounds, landing them at the bottom of the league. However, last round they defeated last season’s dark horse Girona 2-0, halting their losing streak. This was not only their first three points of the season after five winless rounds but also ended a run of twelve winless matches (three draws and nine losses) since April 21, signaling a potential comeback.

Osasuna’s form has been inconsistent this season, with three wins, one draw, and two losses in six La Liga matches. They have won three and drawn one of their four home games, placing them top of the “home standings” in La Liga with seven goals scored. However, they’ve lost both away matches, conceding four to Girona and three to Rayo Vallecano, making them the second-most conceded away team in La Liga. The stark contrast between home and away performances has led head coach Vicente Moreno to emphasize the need for improved focus and performance in away games before this match.

Regarding head-to-head records, Valencia has won five, drawn one, and lost four of their last ten encounters with Osasuna, holding only a slight advantage. Specifically at the Mestalla, Osasuna has won two, drawn one, and lost one of their four meetings with Valencia since 2021, showing a slight upper hand.

In terms of squad availability, Valencia had as many as six players out injured in their last game. While some of these players have returned to training this week, two are confirmed to miss the match: long-term injury victim center-back Mouctar Diakhaby (14 appearances in La Liga last season), and top scorer Hugo Duro. The status of the other injured players remains uncertain. Osasuna also has two players out injured: midfielder Iker Muñoz (two appearances this season as a rotational player), and winger Chimy Ávila (21 appearances across all competitions last season as a rotational player).

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