Levante vs Osasuna: La Liga Relegation Battle

Estadio Ciudad de Valencia stages a tense La Liga relegation–midtable clash on 8 May 2026 as 19th‑placed Levante host 10th‑placed Osasuna. With four rounds left in the 2025 league season, the stakes are clear: Levante are fighting to escape the relegation zone, while Osasuna are looking to cement a top‑half finish and avoid being dragged into late‑season turbulence.

Levante’s survival equation is simple enough on paper. They sit 19th on 33 points, with a goal difference of -17 across all phases (38 scored, 55 conceded). Their home form has been marginally better than their away record, but still fragile: 5 wins, 5 draws and 7 defeats from 17 at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, with 21 goals scored and 26 conceded. In the league, they average 1.2 goals for and 1.5 against per home game – numbers that explain both their perilous position and the thin margin for error.

Osasuna arrive in Valencia in midtable, 10th with 42 points and a goal difference of -2 (40 for, 42 against). The table suggests comfort, but their away form tells a different story. Across all phases they have been one of the weakest travellers in the division: just 2 wins, 4 draws and 11 defeats from 17 away matches, scoring only 11 and conceding 22. Their away attack is blunt (0.6 goals per game), and while they are more solid at home, that cushion disappears on the road.

Form and momentum

Levante’s recent league form line reads “LDWWL” – inconsistent, but with signs of life. Across the season their broader form string is littered with defeats, yet they have shown they can string results together: their longest winning streak is two games, and they have also put together a couple of two‑match unbeaten runs. Eight clean sheets overall (four at home) underline that when they get their defensive structure right, they can be stubborn.

Osasuna’s current form is “LWLDD”, a mixed sequence that reflects their broader season pattern: competitive, often awkward, but rarely dominant. Their longest winning streak across all phases is only two games, and they have matched that with runs of two consecutive defeats. Seven clean sheets overall, but only two away, again point to a side that is far more comfortable at El Sadar than on their travels.

Discipline could be a subplot. Levante’s card distribution shows a tendency to pick up yellows late in games – 19.23% of their bookings come between 76–90 minutes – while Osasuna’s heaviest yellow accumulation also arrives in the final quarter of matches. With Levante under pressure and Osasuna no strangers to red cards (they have multiple reds spread across time ranges), a tight contest could easily swing on a dismissal.

Tactical outlook: Levante

Levante have been tactically flexible but largely conservative. Their most used shapes are 4‑2‑3‑1 (11 matches) and 4‑4‑2 (10), with 4‑1‑4‑1 also a regular option. At home, that usually translates into a back four shielded by a double pivot, trying to keep games compact and rely on transitions and set pieces.

They have scored 38 goals in 34 matches (1.1 per game across all phases) and failed to score 12 times – a significant attacking concern. Yet there is a clear bright spot: 20‑year‑old forward Carlos Espí. With 9 league goals in just 996 minutes, Espí is Levante’s standout finisher. His shot profile is efficient – 32 attempts, 19 on target – and he wins almost half of his duels (75 from 159), suggesting he can both occupy centre‑backs and attack space in behind.

Given Levante’s biggest home win (4‑2) and worst home defeat (1‑4), this is a team that can get involved in high‑variance games when the structure breaks. Their average goals against (1.6 per game overall) and 55 conceded underline defensive fragility, but eight clean sheets and four home shutouts show they can also sit deep and protect a lead when they get ahead.

In possession, expect Levante to use width from a 4‑2‑3‑1 or 4‑4‑2, with Espí either leading the line or arriving from a support role. The double pivot will be crucial in screening transitions against Osasuna’s forwards, particularly Ante Budimir.

Tactical outlook: Osasuna

Osasuna have a clearer identity. Their most used formation is 4‑2‑3‑1 (19 games), but they are comfortable shifting into back‑three systems (3‑4‑3, 3‑4‑2‑1, 3‑5‑2) to manage game states. Away from home, the priority has been defensive solidity, which partly explains the low scoring: 11 goals for and 22 against in 17 away fixtures.

The focal point is Ante Budimir, one of La Liga’s standout strikers in 2025. He has 16 league goals in 33 appearances, starting 31 of them and playing over 2,600 minutes. His volume is high – 76 shots, 36 on target – and he contributes in duels (339 contested, 161 won), link‑up and pressing. Budimir has scored six penalties but also missed two, so while he is a reliable source of goals from the spot, his record is not flawless.

Osasuna’s attack is far more productive at home (29 goals) than away (11), but Budimir’s presence always gives them an outlet. With failed‑to‑score figures of 11 matches overall – 11 of those away – they are used to grinding out low‑margin contests on their travels, often relying on set pieces and isolated moments of quality rather than sustained pressure.

Defensively, conceding 42 in 34 (1.2 per game) is midtable standard, but they are more vulnerable away. Their biggest away defeat is 3‑1, and their worst away defensive numbers (22 conceded) suggest that if they are forced to open up, they can be exposed.

Team news and selection issues

Levante’s survival push is complicated by a significant absentee list. C. Alvarez, K. Arriaga, A. Primo and I. Romero are all ruled out – injuries and suspension – stripping depth from both defence and midfield. On top of that, Dela, U. Elgezabal and K. Tunde are listed as questionable with various muscle and knee problems. That combination could limit Levante’s options to rotate or change shape mid‑game, and may push them towards a more conservative starting XI to protect tired or returning players.

Osasuna have fewer problems but are not untouched. V. Munoz is confirmed out with a muscle injury, while A. Oroz is questionable. The core of their side, including Budimir, appears intact, which should allow them to stick with their preferred 4‑2‑3‑1 base and adjust to a back three if protecting a result.

Head‑to‑head picture

The last five competitive meetings between these sides, all in La Liga, tilt towards Osasuna:

• Osasuna 2‑0 Levante (December 2025, La Liga)
• Osasuna 3‑1 Levante (March 2022, La Liga)
• Levante 0‑0 Osasuna (December 2021, La Liga)
• Levante 0‑1 Osasuna (February 2021, La Liga)
• Osasuna 1‑3 Levante (September 2020, La Liga)

Across those five, Osasuna have 3 wins, Levante 1, with 1 draw. Notably, Levante’s only victory in that run came away at El Sadar; at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia they have taken just one point from the last three home meetings (two defeats, one draw), scoring only once.

The pattern is clear: these fixtures are often tight, low‑margin affairs. Two of the last three in Valencia finished 0‑0 and 0‑1, underlining the risk of a cagey contest if Levante prioritize not losing over chasing the win they really need.

The verdict

All the data points to a finely balanced game shaped by context rather than pure quality. Levante are desperate, at home, and slightly better offensively in their own stadium than Osasuna are away. They have a genuine goal threat in Carlos Espí and enough tactical flexibility to pose problems if they start well.

Osasuna, however, bring the more stable season, the superior league position and the standout individual in Budimir. Even with their poor away record, they have shown they can nick results on the road by keeping games tight and leaning on their striker’s penalty‑box instincts.

Given Levante’s injuries, Osasuna’s historic edge in the head‑to‑head and both sides’ tendency towards low‑scoring away‑home splits, a narrow, tense encounter feels most likely. Levante’s need might push them to take more risks late on, but Osasuna’s structure and Budimir’s presence suggest they are well equipped to emerge with at least a point.

A draw, with either side capable of edging it by a single goal, looks the most logical outcome on the numbers.