Overview
- Real Madrid will host Osasuna on August 19 in a midweek opener after LaLiga denied their request to delay the fixture following an extended Club World Cup run.
- Xabi Alonso, appointed in May, will lead his first home match as coach in front of the Santiago Bernabéu crowd under accelerated preparation conditions.
- Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Álvaro Carreras are set to bolster a new-look defence after behind-closed-doors sessions and short friendlies fast-tracked match fitness.
- Jude Bellingham will miss the first three months of the season after shoulder surgery, while Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy remain injured and Antonio Rüdiger serves a suspension.
- Osasuna boss Alessio Lisci described the Club World Cup as valuable high-level prep for Madrid, setting up a clash between perceived advantage and fatigue management.