Girona vs. Real Madrid: La Liga Previews, odds and Predictions

Saturday night's La Liga match between Real Madrid and Girona at Estadi Montilivi will allow the Spanish team to get back on track after a close loss to Athletic Bilbao.

Due to Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Athletic, Los Blancos are now in second place in La Liga, four points behind champions Barcelona but with a game in hand. Girona is in eighth place.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Girona enjoyed their most excellent season in Spain's top flight in 2023–24, finishing third in La Liga and qualifying for the 2024–25 Champions League league phase.

While there has been a decline this season, Michel's squad has shown signs of life recently, earning 10 points (3 wins, 1 tie) in their past four La Liga matches to climb to eighth place in the competition.

The White and Reds have a game in hand and are just seven points behind Athletic Bilbao for fourth place, but they have lost their previous two games in all competitions.

After losing 1-0 to Sturm Graz in the Champions League at the tail end of November, Girona dropped to 30th, three points behind Real Madrid in 24th place and the last playoff slot.

Michel's squad was stunned on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey, falling to fourth-tier team UD Logrones on penalties after a scoreless draw; they will not be participating in the cup tournament this season.

On Wednesday, Athletic defeated Real Madrid 2-1. Gorka Guruzeta scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute. Carlo Ancelotti's team lost their second league match of the season because Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty. After the game, the Frenchman took to social media to apologize.

With 33 points after 15 games, Los Blancos are in second place, four points behind leaders Barcelona—who have played one more game—and are still in the thick of things regarding the championship race.

Real Madrid will face Girona on Saturday and Atalanta BC in the Champions League next week; Ancelotti's team will be under intense pressure to win against the Italian team because of their competitive struggles this season. They have lost four of their last seven matches across all competitions.

It would be the greatest surprise in history if the Madrid giants did not advance to the next round of the Champions League since they are desperately chasing a playoff berth in the league standings.

In all tournaments combined, Real Madrid's record against Girona is six wins, one tie, and three losses. The most recent meeting between the two teams was a 3-0 victory for Real Madrid in the 2023–24 season.

Girona x Real Madrid Team News

While Yangel Herrera, Viktor Tsygankov, and Yaser Asprilla will all be out with injuries for Girona's match this weekend, Gabriel Misehouy returned to the lineup in the Copa del Rey.

Ivan Martin, Arnau Martinez, Donny van de Beek, and Bojan Miovski are expected to triumphantly return to the starting lineup for the match against Real Madrid. Head coach Michel is making many adjustments to the squad that competed in the Copa del Rey.

On Saturday night, Bryan Gil—on loan from Tottenham Hotspur—is slated to start in a wide position, while Arnaut Danjuma—who has not scored for Michel's team—will likely receive a chance to play.

The defending champions, Real Madrid, had no new issues in their match against Athletic. However, they will be without Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, and David Alaba.

Dani Ceballos and Fran Garcia might be substituted for Brahim Diaz and Ferland Mendy in head coach Carlo Ancelotti's starting lineup at Athletic.

Raul Asencio, who has significantly benefited from Militao's season-ending knee injury, will again start in the center of defense. At the same time, Mbappe, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham are all anticipated to make it into the starting lineup.

Our Predictions

Real Madrid to win @ 1.75 on Sky247.ng

It would not be surprising if Real Madrid and Girona shared the points on Saturday, but we are rooting for the Spanish champions to win despite Girona's 0–0 record in Real Madrid's two La Liga matches last season. Girona will present Real Madrid with a formidable challenge.

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