Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the La Liga match.
Real Madrid open their campaign at home against Osasuna. The Basque side is unlikely to cause major problems for the Madrid giants in attack, particularly with Kylian Mbappé hitting top form in pre-season — the Frenchman will be the biggest threat.
Real Madrid
The arrival of Xabi Alonso on the Madrid bench promised major changes, but the coach has not dared to sacrifice either Vinícius Júnior or Kylian Mbappé. Both forwards were heavily criticised after a poor showing at the Club World Cup with Paris Saint-Germain (0:4), but they responded well in the warm-up matches. A week ago against Tirol (4:0), Real Madrid created chances with ease and Mbappé produced two goals and an assist. Without Jude Bellingham, Brahim Díaz and Arda Güler earned starts, while Aurélien Tchouaméni operated as the sole holding midfielder.
Osasuna
Osasuna enjoyed an outstanding season from striker Ante Budimir (21+4), who almost carried the team into Europe — they only missed out on eighth place to Rayo Vallecano on head-to-head record (both finished on 52 points). Pre-season, however, was far less encouraging, with just one win in six matches, including defeats to Huesca (0:2), Real Sociedad (1:4) and Racing (0:1). Without Jesús Areso, sold to Athletic Bilbao, the coaching staff lacks solid options at full-back.
Real Madrid vs Osasuna Prediction
In February, Real Madrid ended a run of five consecutive wins over Osasuna in head-to-head meetings — in each of those games they had scored at least twice. On Tuesday the Madrid side should make a bright La Liga debut, with their leaders in form.
