Copa del Rey: Osasuna punch above their weight and can land knockout blow to Real Madrid

Two teams have been drawn against both Sevilla and Real Betis, the two sides from Spain’s fourth biggest city, in cup competition this season. One, Manchester United, defeated Betis but were then eliminated from European competition by Sevilla. The other, Osasuna, went one better, beating holders Betis away on penalties then Sevilla at home after extra time in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.

A goal in the 116th minute of the semi-final second leg in Bilbao at neighbours Athletic Club was dramatic – and it also led Osasuna to the final, where they meet Real Madrid, back in Seville, on Saturday.

Osasuna – it means ‘health’ in Basque - are 14th in Spain’s all-time league table. Every team above them has won a major honour, yet Osasuna have never managed one in their 103-year history.

The team hail from Pamplona, a wealthy, growing, city of 200,000 best known for the San Fermin running of the bulls festival every July. There’s a statue of the writer Ernest Hemmingway outside the bull ring with "A friend of this town" underneath the name of the Nobel Prize winner, but it’s the football team that is the talk of the city this week. On Tuesday, while resting several key players for the final and being down to 10 men for most of the match, they held Barcelona at Camp Nou for 85 minutes before losing 1-0.

It’s what happens on Saturday that matters most. It goes without saying that Osasuna are not favourites against the European and world champions, but Madrid were defeated 2-0 in the Basque Country by Real Sociedad on Wednesday – when home fans sang for Osasuna ahead of their final. They wish their neighbours well. Although Pamplona is in Navarra, not the Basque Country, 70 per cent of their match-going fans consider