Girona will be bidding to bounce back from successive defeats when they continue their 2024-25 La Liga campaign with a clash against basement side Valencia on Saturday evening.
The Catalan outfit were in Champions League action on Wednesday night, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, while Valencia's last match saw them lose 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Match preview
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There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a difficult start to the new La Liga season for Valencia, with the team currently at the bottom of the table, boasting just one point from their first five matches.
Los Che lost three straight games to Valencia, Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao in the early weeks of the campaign before ending August with a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal.
Ruben Baraja's side were unable to build on that result, though, as they lost 3-0 to Atletico on Sunday, and they are at the foot of the division on one point, while the team have the joint-second worst defensive record with 10 conceded in their opening five matches.
Valencia finished ninth in La Liga last season and would have been looking to build on that in the new season, but the performances have been hugely disappointing, and their fixture list does not get any easier, with Girona and Real Sociedad to come in two of their next three games.
Los Che have actually lost each of their last three league games with Girona, including a 3-1 defeat when the two teams locked horns for the corresponding fixture last term.
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Girona, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 loss to PSG in their first-ever game in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Catalan outfit, who finished third in La Liga last season, were on course for a famous point in the French capital, but an own goal from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga in the final exchanges broke Girona hearts, and the team were also beaten 4-1 by Barcelona in the league last time out.
It was always going to be difficult for Michel's side to match their heroics from last season, and it has been a tentative start to the 2024-25 La Liga campaign, boasting a record of two wins, one draw and two defeats from five matches to sit 10th in the division on seven points.
Girona must find a way to balance European and domestic football in the coming weeks, and it will be fascinating to see how the White and Reds perform this term.
The Catalan team have lost two of their last three away matches, including a 3-0 defeat at Atletico at the end of August, but they did beat Sevilla 2-0 on the road before the international break.
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Team News
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Valencia will be without the services of five players through injury, with Fran Perez, Hugo Duro, Jose Gaya, Jaume Domenech and Mouctar Diakhaby unavailable, while Rafa Mir is currently suspended by the club.
The absence of Duro is a big one considering his output in the final third, and it is likely that Dani Gomez and Javi Guerra will once again operate through the middle.
There is expected to be a change in a wide area, though, with Sergi Canos in line to start, and his introduction could see Luis Rioja drop down to the bench.
As for Girona, Justin Garcia is out with a shoulder problem, while Ricard Artero remains on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.
Head coach Michel will make changes to the side that started against PSG in the Champions League, with Arnaut Danjuma set to return in a wide area, while Jhon Solis is also likely to feature in midfield.
Cristhian Stuani has two goals in five league appearances this term, and the 37-year-old could lead the line, as the team attempt to replace their leading goalscorer from last season Artem Dovbyk, who made the move to Roma during the summer market.
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Tarrega, Mosquera, Correia; D Lopez, Guillamon, Pepelu, Canos; Guerra, Gomez
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Frances, D Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; I Martin, Solis; Gil, Tsyhankov, Danjuma; Stuani
We say: Valencia 1-2 Girona
Valencia are really struggling at the moment, and we are finding it difficult to back them to pick up a positive result here. Girona will enter the game off the back of successive losses, but we can see the Catalan side shading a close fixture at Mestalla this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.