La Liga Preview: Real Madrid v Osasuna

Real Madrid will say adios to Jose Mourinho on Saturday after their La Liga match with Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Portuguese tactician’s spell in charge has been a rollercoaster ride in the Spanish capital – successfully breaking Barcelona’s stranglehold on the Liga title last term but ultimately falling short of his aim of bringing the club their first UEFA Champions League success since 2002.

Along the way there was an eye-gouging controversy with then-Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova, and highly publicised spats with big-name stars in his own squad such as Iker Casillas, Pepe and Sergio Ramos.

Most recently, he was sent to the stands as his team lost the Copa del Rey final to city rivals Atletico.

As the past three years have shown, there is never a dull moment with the ‘Special One’.

But that circus comes to an end on Saturday, as Real journey to lowly Osasuna in what will be Mourinho’s last official duty with his team.

Given the multitude of big games he has presided over during his tenure, Saturday’s clash – with nothing at stake but pride – is an anti-climactic end for one of football’s most perplexing characters, who is hotly tipped to reprise his role at Chelsea next season.

Real Madrid will be keen to take revenge on Osasuna, who held them to a 0-0 draw at the Estadio El Sadar in January in what was a spiteful affair.

Referee Carlos Clos brandished nine yellow cards that day in Pamplona, two of them to Real’s Brazilian star Kaka, who was dismissed with quarter of an hour to play.