Sevilla travel to Estadio El Sadar on Sunday evening with the pressure rising again around a club that spent much of last season fighting to stay in La Liga. They arrive 17th in the table, only one point above 18th-placed Alaves, after losing four of their last five league matches and falling 2-0 to Levante in their previous outing.
Osasuna are 10th and still within reach of the European places, five points behind sixth-placed Getafe, but their own form has not been convincing. They have won one of their last seven league matches, and that only victory came at home to Girona on March 21. Since then they have drawn with Alaves and Real Betis and lost 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao, even as their home record remains among the strongest in the division with 29 points from 15 league matches.
This is also a meeting with recent history attached. Osasuna beat Sevilla 1-0 in the corresponding fixture last season, while Sevilla responded with a 1-0 win at Estadio Ramon in November. The balance of those results matters because both teams need a response now: Osasuna to keep from sliding out of the European conversation, and Sevilla to avoid being dragged back toward danger after surviving by one point last season. They have not played outside La Liga since the 2000-01 campaign, a reminder of how unusual another collapse would be for a club of their size.
Osasuna are without long-term absentee Iker Benito, but Alejandro Catena and Asier Osambela are available again after suspensions. Ante Budimir, who has scored 16 La Liga goals this season, remains the main threat, with Ruben Garcia expected to work down the left and Victor Munoz set to start in attack. Sevilla are missing Marcao for the rest of the season through injury, while Cesar Azpilicueta remains a doubt. Djibril Sow is likely to be introduced into midfield, and the visitors may switch to a back four as they try to tighten up.
The shape of the evening is hard to miss. Osasuna are trying to turn a strong home record into a late push upward. Sevilla are trying to stop a slide before a difficult run that includes Real Sociedad, Espanyol, Villarreal, Real Madrid and Celta Vigo. For one side, the margin is Europe. For the other, it is survival.
