Celta Vigo and CA Osasuna open the season at Balaídos
Celta Vigo and CA Osasuna enter the new season from very different starting positions. Celta finished the previous league campaign in 6th place with 54 points and secured European football, while Osasuna finished 17th with 42 points and only guaranteed survival in the closing stages. The opening round therefore immediately brings an interesting test: the hosts are trying to confirm the continuity of Claudio Giráldez's project, while the visitors, under new coach Luis Miguel Ramis, want to show that last season's battle near the bottom is not their new standard.
The current schedules of both clubs for the match on 16 August list kick-off at 21:30 local time. For travellers, this is an important change worth checking again shortly before arriving at the stadium, especially because work is still ongoing at Balaídos.
Tickets for this match are in demand among fans. A home league opener, an evening kick-off and an opponent that won on this ground the last time they visited give the match enough tangible importance without any need to raise expectations further.
Celta arrive after an unbeaten pre-season
Giráldez's team completed their preparations without defeat. Results themselves are no guarantee for the league campaign, but the way Celta came through matches against different opponents offers several clear indications of the team's current condition.
- SC Braga - Celta 2-2
- Celta - Sporting de Gijón 1-0
- Celta - Académico de Viseu 2-2
- Sassuolo - Celta 1-4
- Napoli - Celta 1-1
The most emphatic result came against Sassuolo. Iago Aspas scored the opening goal, while Hugo González completed a hat-trick within just a few minutes late in the match. Against Napoli, Celta trailed from the early stages, but improved after the break and equalised through Ferran Jutglà.
The story of Hugo González is particularly interesting. The forward scored regularly during the preparations, and Giráldez confirmed after the final friendly that he would be registered with the first team. That gives Celta Vigo another attacking option alongside the experienced Iago Aspas and Ferran Jutglà.
Aspas remains a player capable of changing the rhythm of a match. Against Sassuolo he was not only a goalscorer, but also played an active role in a team that controlled possession for long periods and kept the opponent in its own half. Jutglà, on the other hand, scored against Napoli following aggressive pressure on the hosts' build-up play. For Osasuna's defence, that means the danger does not come from only one type of move.
Giráldez's Celta want to control space and the ball
During the preparations, Celta once again displayed the footballing characteristics that have become recognisable under Giráldez: building attacks from the back line, providing width through the wide players and placing several players between the opposition's lines. Match sheets from the latest games frequently show a structure with three players in the last line, but the starting formation is less important than the movement after gaining possession.
Against Sassuolo, Celta controlled the ball and the tempo for long periods in the first half. In the final test against Napoli, things were different. The Italian side imposed a high press early on and forced Celta into a more demanding build-up, but Giráldez's team managed to move higher up the pitch in the second half and find an equaliser.
Against Osasuna, the first pass after regaining the ball will therefore be particularly interesting. If Celta manage to find their midfielders behind the visitors' initial pressing line, they will open space towards the wingers and forwards. If Osasuna manage to close those channels and force the hosts into mistakes closer to their own penalty area, the match could take on a completely different character.
Osasuna begin a new cycle under Ramis
Luis Miguel Ramis took charge of Osasuna after the end of last season and signed a contract until the summer of 2028. His task is to restore stability to a team that, several months before the end of the league campaign, had been thinking about European places but ultimately finished 17th.
The club's sporting director Braulio Vázquez spoke openly after the season about the team's decline during the closing part of the campaign and the need to restore the mentality with which Osasuna had fought for every point in previous years. The coaching change is therefore not only a tactical change, but also an attempt to reset the standards for the new season.
Ramis's pre-season began more convincingly than it ended. Osasuna beat Racing de Santander 2-0, then Ipswich Town 2-1 and Norwich City 2-1. The first defeat came against Napoli, 2-1, while the final test brought a 0-2 home defeat against Al Ain.
Against Napoli, Ante Budimir scored from the penalty spot. Against Al Ain, Osasuna initially had more of the ball and tried to pin their opponents back with pressing, but the visitors were more dangerous whenever space opened up for transitions. The second goal was conceded precisely after a quick counterattack.
That is a detail that will be particularly interesting at Balaídos. Celta have players who quickly join attacks from deeper positions, so Osasuna will not be able to send large numbers of players forward to press while simultaneously leaving too much space behind the first line.
Budimir remains Osasuna's central threat
Ante Budimir remains one of the most important players in the visiting team. His importance in this fixture can also be clearly seen from last season's head-to-head meetings. In October he scored twice against Celta in Pamplona, and in February he found the net again at Balaídos.
Budimir is not dangerous only when Osasuna keep the ball for long periods. His positioning in the penalty area gives the visitors a simpler solution when opposition pressure makes it difficult to play out with short passes. A cross, second ball or set piece can very quickly turn a defensive situation into a goalscoring opportunity.
Raúl García also deserves attention. He scored the winning goal on Osasuna's most recent league visit to Balaídos, while during the preparations he was among the scorers against Racing and Norwich City. Iker Muñoz, Jon Moncayola, Moi Gómez and Rubén García give Ramis different options in midfield and in the space behind the striker.
During the final days of preparation, Osasuna also worked particularly on set pieces. Against a team that wants to dominate possession, set pieces often provide the most direct way for the visiting side to turn a few good gains of territory into serious chances.
The last five head-to-head meetings offer warnings for both sides
There is no simple pattern in this fixture. Celta have recorded three wins in the last five league meetings and Osasuna two, with away victories occurring often enough that home advantage has not been a guarantee.
- 06.02.2026. - Celta Vigo 1-2 CA Osasuna
- 26.10.2025. - CA Osasuna 2-3 Celta Vigo
- 21.02.2025. - Celta Vigo 1-0 CA Osasuna
- 01.09.2024. - CA Osasuna 3-2 Celta Vigo
- 04.02.2024. - CA Osasuna 0-3 Celta Vigo
The most recent meeting is particularly important. Osasuna won 2-1 at Balaídos in February. Budimir opened the scoring, Borja Iglesias equalised from the penalty spot, and Raúl García scored the winner for the visitors. Celta had enough moments in which they could have changed the match, but Osasuna were more clinical when the opportunity arose.
Only a few months earlier in Pamplona, a completely different match took place. Budimir scored twice, but Celta won 3-2 thanks to goals from Ferran Jutglà and Pablo Durán. Two matches from the same season therefore produced five goals in Pamplona and a considerably tighter contest in Vigo.
For the opening round of the new season, that means there is little sense in expecting a copy of the previous meeting. Both teams have changed part of their squads, Osasuna have a new coach, and Celta enter the season after a different summer and an unbeaten run of pre-season matches.
Squad situation ahead of the opening round
Celta completed their final pre-season match against Napoli without a newly publicly confirmed major problem, and Carl Starfelt started the game. However, the club's latest medical report, updated on 6 August, lists two players who had not yet returned to full training.
- Pablo Durán - after problems with instability in his left shoulder and surgery, he trained partially with the team.
- Javi Galán - after a minor muscle-fibre injury in his left thigh, he worked individually.
- Valentin Rosier - Osasuna confirmed a muscle injury to his right hamstring, and on 7 August he was still in the recovery process.
That does not automatically mean all three will miss the opening round. Players' status can change during the final week of preparations, so the last training sessions and matchday squad lists will provide a more precise picture.
For Celta, it is important that Starfelt, Javi Rodríguez, Yoel Lago and other defenders received minutes during the Italian part of the preparations. Giráldez rotated extensively, giving him more options when selecting his back line.
Balaídos remains a construction site within an active stadium
ABANCA Balaídos is located at Avda. de Balaídos s/n, 36210 Vigo. The club currently lists a capacity of 24,870 spectators and pitch dimensions of 105 x 70 metres. The stadium opened in 1928, but its current appearance is being created through a multi-phase reconstruction that has not yet been completed.
The most visible work is currently connected with the new Gol stand. At the end of July, it was announced that 791 seats that Celta can use had already been installed for the start of the season. The completed new Gol stand is expected to have more than 7,000 seats, and completion of that phase will increase Balaídos's total capacity towards approximately 31,000.
This also has practical importance for spectators. An active construction site within the stadium complex can affect pedestrian routes, entrances and surrounding traffic. Seats in the stands are disappearing quickly, and for the opening-round match it is sensible to plan to arrive with time to spare.
Getting to the stadium
Balaídos is located in a built-up urban area of Vigo, so visitors will find it more useful to think in terms of public transport, a taxi or an earlier arrival rather than relying on parking immediately beside the stadium.
- The stadium address is Avda. de Balaídos s/n, 36210 Vigo.
- For travelling from other parts of the city, urban public transport and taxis are practical options.
- Drivers should expect limited space in the immediate surroundings and possible changes due to construction work at the stadium.
- On matchday, additional time should be allowed for security checks and finding the correct entrance.
- The gate-opening time has not been published far enough in advance to state it with certainty, so it should be checked in the latest information for the specific match.
Vigo is a large Atlantic port city in north-western Spain, and Balaídos is located several kilometres south of the historic city centre and coastal area. For visitors coming only for the match, the simplest plan is to separate movement around the city centre from the final journey towards the stadium, rather than trying to drive directly to the stands in the final minutes.
What will decide the match most
The first question will be how effectively Osasuna can press Celta's initial build-up. Napoli showed in the final pre-season match that strong pressure can cause problems for the hosts, but Celta found better solutions after the break and equalised.
The second is the reaction after losing the ball. Against Al Ain, Osasuna conceded from a counterattack after a mistake in their build-up play. If the visitors leave too much space behind midfield, players such as Aspas, Jutglà, Hugo Álvarez or Hugo González can attack the open space very quickly.
The third factor is set pieces and play inside the penalty area. Budimir has scored three goals in the last two league meetings with Celta. His presence changes the way the home defence must deal with crosses and second balls, especially if Osasuna manage to win free kicks and corners in the final third.
Celta will probably want longer periods of control through possession, while Osasuna will look for moments in which they can turn pressing, a set piece or a won second ball into a direct threat. The quality of the reaction after losing possession will be one of the areas in which it can most quickly become clear which team is closer to competitive rhythm.
A season opener with plenty of unanswered questions
Celta have a 6th-place finish, 54 points and an unbeaten pre-season behind them. Giráldez has retained the basic idea of the team's play, while Hugo González has added another attacking option with his goals during the summer. Jutglà scored in the final test, Aspas remains an important link between build-up play and finishing, and the team showed against Napoli that it can respond after a poor start.
Osasuna arrive after a considerably more difficult league campaign and with a new coach. Three victories at the start of their preparations showed a good response to Ramis's demands, while defeats against Napoli and Al Ain raised questions about defending transitions and efficiency against organised opponents. At the same time, Budimir and Raúl García already have experience of deciding matches against Celta.
It is worth securing tickets in good time. For a spectator at Balaídos, this is an opportunity to see the first genuine test of two teams whose pre-season pictures differ significantly, but whose recent head-to-head meetings have shown that the difference in the table does not necessarily mean much once the match begins.
Sources:
- RC Celta - opening-round schedule, results of all five pre-season matches, draw against Napoli, victory over Sassuolo, Hugo González's status, coach Claudio Giráldez, medical report and information about Balaídos.
- CA Osasuna - match schedule, appointment of Luis Miguel Ramis, pre-season matches against Racing de Santander, Ipswich Town, Norwich City, Napoli and Al Ain, and medical information about Valentin Rosier.
- LaLiga - results and match reports from the latest head-to-head meetings between Celta Vigo and CA Osasuna.
- StatMuse - final positions, points totals and results record of Celta Vigo and CA Osasuna in the 2025/26 season.
- Cadena SER Radio Vigo - current status of the reconstruction of the Gol stand, number of newly available seats and planned capacity after completion of that phase of work.