Girona will be aiming to bounce back from three straight defeats in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign with a clash against Mallorca at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors will enter the match off the back of a home loss to Liverpool in the Champions League, while Mallorca have been beaten in their last two La Liga matches, including a 2-0 reverse to Celta Vigo last time out.
Match preview
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Mallorca ended November with back-to-back wins over Las Palmas and Valencia, but it has not been a happy start to December, suffering successive losses to Barcelona and Celta, conceding seven times in the process.
Jagoba Arrasate's side boast a record of seven wins, three draws and seven defeats from their 17 league matches this season, which has left them in eighth spot in the La Liga table on 24 points, just two points behind fifth-placed Villarreal.
Goals have been a problem this term, only managing 16 in their 17 matches, but they have been relatively strong defensively, conceding just 20 times, which is one more than the leaders Barcelona.
Mallorca have won three, drawn three and lost three of their nine league games on home soil this season, and they will be welcoming a Girona outfit that have a record of two wins, three draws and three losses form eight matches on their travels.
The Pirates recorded a 1-0 win over Girona in the corresponding match during the 2023-24 campaign, and they will certainly be the fresher of the two teams entering this weekend's contest in Spain's top flight.
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Indeed, Girona were in European action on Tuesday night, going down 1-0 at home to Liverpool, with the result leaving them 30th in the Champions League table, boasting only three points from six matches.
The Catalan side have actually lost their last three games in three separate competitions, going out of the Copa del Rey on penalties to UD Logrones on December 4 before being beaten 3-0 at home by Real Madrid in La Liga last weekend.
Michel's side have lost four of their last five matches, with their last league success coming against Espanyol on November 23, and a total of 22 points from 16 matches has left them in ninth spot in the La Liga table.
Girona are only four points behind fifth-placed Villarreal, though, and a positive result in this clash would set them up nicely for their final game of the year at home to basement side Real Valladolid on December 20.
The White and Reds finished third in La Liga during a historic 2023-24 campaign for the club; there has been a drop-off this term, but finishing inside the top six in 2024-25 would still represent another successful season.
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Team News
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Mallorca will again be without the services of Toni Lato, Copete and Ivan Cuellar on Saturday through injury, while Antonio Raillo is suspended after being sent off in the clash with Celta.
Raillo's spot is expected to be taken by Johan Mojica, while there is also likely to be a change further forward, with Vedat Muriqi potentially coming into the starting side in place of Robert Navarro.
Cyle Larin and Muriqi should operate as the front two for the home side on Saturday, with Dani Rodriguez and Javi Llabres featuring in the wide midfield positions.
As for Girona, Bojan Miovski, Viktor Tsygankov and Yangel Herrera will miss the match through injury, while Ladislav Krejci is suspended after picking up a milestone yellow card against Real Madrid.
Daley Blind is expected to replace Krejci in the back four, while Arnaut Danjuma is likely to operate through the middle in the absence of Miovski, although Portu, Cristhian Stuani and Abel Ruiz are also options.
There will be changes from the side that started in the Champions League against Liverpool, with Ivan Martin and Arnau Martinez set to return to the starting XI for the clash with Mallorca.
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Greif; Morey, Valjent, Van der Heyden, Mojica; Mascarell, S Costa; D Rodriguez, Llabres; Larin, Muriqi
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; A Martinez, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Martin, Romeu; Asprilla, Van de Beek, Gil; Danjuma
We say: Mallorca 1-1 Girona
Mallorca will be aiming to make it back-to-back home wins over Girona, but the Pirates have struggled of late, and we are finding it difficult to back either with any real confidence on Saturday, instead predicting a low-scoring draw at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law