Celta Vigo and Osasuna will both be bidding to make winning starts to their 2023-24 La Liga campaigns when they lock horns at the Estadio Municipal de Balaidos on Sunday afternoon.
The home side finished 13th in Spain's top flight last season, while Osasuna were seventh, which saw them qualify for the Europa Conference League playoff round.
Match preview
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Rafael Benitez was appointed Celta's head coach towards the end of June, with the 63-year-old back in Spain for the first time since managing Real Madrid between June 2015 and January 2016.
The Spaniard had been without a position since leaving Everton in January 2022, but he has now been tasked with helping Celta push forward, with the Sky Blues finishing 13th last season.
The Vigo outfit actually claimed eighth in 2020-21, but they have been 11th and 13th in their last two campaigns; staying away from the relegation zone is always their main focus at the start of each season, though, and the team have now been present at this level for 12 years in a row.
Not too much can be read into pre-season results, but Celta won four of their five friendlies over the summer, including each of their last three, so they should enter this match full of confidence.
Benitez's side have also been busy in the transfer market, bringing in Carles Perez, Carl Starfelt, Carlos Dotor, Jonathan Bamba and Manu Sanchez to boost their squad, but the likes of Orbelin Pineda, Hugo Mallo and Javi Galan have moved on.
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Osasuna, meanwhile, enjoyed an impressive 2022-23 campaign, reaching the Copa del Rey final in addition to finishing seventh in La Liga, which saw them qualify for the Europa Conference League playoff round.
Seventh represented the team's joint-highest finish at this level since 2006, and they will take on either Club Brugge or KA over two legs before the end of the month for the right to be present in the group stage of the European competition.
Osasuna's current focus is on the start of their La Liga season, though, and they will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 victory over Burgos in their final friendly of the summer on August 4.
Jagoba Arrasate's side have managed to bring four new players to the club this summer, with Raul Garcia, Alejandro Catena and Jose Manuel Arnaiz arriving on permanent deals, while Johan Mojica has been brought in on loan from Villarreal.
There have not been any major departures, meanwhile, with Osasuna able to keep the bulk of their squad together for the new season, which should stand them in good stead.
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Team News
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Celta's star player Gabri Veiga continues to be heavily linked with a move away from the club, and it is believed that he has now come to an agreement with Napoli, with a switch potentially occurring in the coming days, so he will not be involved in this match.
Experienced goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin, meanwhile, will be absent for the home side on Sunday due to a long-term knee problem.
There are expected to be debuts for Perez, Starfelt, Bamba and Sanchez in this contest, while there will also be familiar faces in the XI in the shape of Iago Aspas, Oscar Mingueza and Fran Beltran.
Osasuna, meanwhile, will be missing Darko Brasanac due to a long-term knee problem, but the visitors are otherwise in good shape ahead of this contest.
Raul Garcia could come straight into the first XI following his arrival from Real Betis, while Catena and Mojica may also make their full debuts for the visitors here.
Ante Budimir is likely to get the nod at centre-forward on Sunday, while Lucas Torro and Aimar Oroz are both expected to keep hold of their starting roles in central midfield.
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Villar; Mingueza, U Nunez, Starfelt, M Sanchez; Tapia, Beltran, Baeza; Perez, Aspas, Bamba
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Pena, Catena, D Garcia, Mojica; Moncayola, Torro, Oroz; Raul Garcia, Budimir, Ruben Garcia
We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Osasuna
It is always difficult to know exactly what to expect on the opening weekend of the new season, and this is a match that could easily produce a home or indeed an away victory. It is likely to be somewhat of a cagey affair, though, and we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
