Baraja and CA Osasuna to cross paths again

Rubén Baraja has history against CA Osasuna, this weekend's LaLiga opponents for Valencia CF, as both a player and as a coach. The new incumbent in the dugout meets 'Los Rojillos' in the Primera División for the first time in this new stage of his career, but has fond memories of two significant games as a player for Valencia CF.

At Mestalla in 2002, Baraja scored the winning goal against Osasuna, heading in to give his side the three points after he had previously missed a penalty. Valencia CF would go on to lift the LaLiga title that year.

In 2007/08, he captained a side that also featured his current assistant, Carlos Marchena, as the team ended a 4-match losing streak with a sensational 3-0 triumph at Mestalla.

In his coaching career, Baraja has crossed paths with Osasuna on four occasions in the Segunda División, losing only once -and never in a home game.

The first was in charge of Elche in 2015/16, his maiden season in the second tier of Spanish football, with a 2-1 victory at home. Later that season, the two teams would play out a goalless draw at El Sadar.

At Sporting Gijón, having come in midway through the 2017/18 season, Baraja led the Asturian team to a 2-0 win in February of 2018. Following that, the next season saw his only loss to Los Rojillos, when Osasuna claimed a slim 1-0 victory in September of 2018. Coaching them that day was Jagoba Arrasate, against whom he pits his wits for the first time in LaLiga this Saturday night.