First Team 18 Aug 2025

Alessio Lisci: "It's a great challenge, a tough one, but we are excited to take it on"  

Club Atlético Osasuna head coach Alessio Lisci addressed the media ahead of his team's season opener against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The match is set to kick off at 9 p.m. CET (8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET).

Lisci remarked on the challenge of facing Real Madrid, stating, “It will be a tough match, but we are excited to take it on because we enjoy facing the best teams. It's always a good opportunity to play these matches.”

Despite the daunting task of opening the season in one of LaLiga’s most difficult venues, Lisci views the match as a chance for his team to begin the season on a high note.

“It’s clear that we prepare our preseason not just to face Real Madrid but for the entire season," he said. "It wouldn’t be wise to focus solely on this match. We were aware of the time we had to prepare, and we've adjusted our work throughout the preseason accordingly. Does kicking off the year against Real Madrid derail you? No, it sets a competitive mindset from the beginning. We should view these matches as good tests. Our goal is to win, which makes everything more enjoyable because winning always enhances the experience. If we don’t win, it’s hard to enjoy.”

"I believe the team is looking good due to the progress we've made since day one"

When asked about his expectations for the team, Lisci emphasized the importance of building on their preseason efforts. He noted that the last match against Freiburg was crucial for ending the preseason positively.

“I expect Osasuna to continue building on what we’ve been working on. We need to follow the rhythm of the match and react to what Real Madrid does,” he explained. “They adapt according to their opponents, especially during their preseason and the Club World Cup, but they also have some patterns that repeat. We need to identify those, with or without possession. I believe the team is looking good due to the progress we've made since day one. In our last three matches, we’ve shown our best version, even outperforming our opponents. The games against Freiburg and Lorient were particularly challenging; Freiburg was the toughest, and we delivered an excellent performance there. So, the team is confident and eager to get started because this season has taken too long to kick off.”

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