Girona vs Real Madrid Preview
Watch Girona vs Real Madrid Preview as they are having a La Liga Meeting as Real madrid was awaiting another victory at Estadi Municipal De Montilivi.
The White and Reds have undoubtedly performed above expectations this season, picking up 38 points from 30 matches to sit 11th in the table, some eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Girona are not going to claim a European spot this term, but they will certainly have their eyes on a top-half finish, currently sitting just three points behind eighth-placed Osasuna.
Michel‘s side brought a four-game unbeaten run into their clash with Real Valladolid on Saturday but suffered a 1-0 loss at Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla, with Monchu netting the only goal of the contest.
The Catalan outfit will now be bidding to bounce back against the European and Spanish champions, and they have been impressive on home soil this season, picking up 27 points from 15 matches, winning eight times in the process, which has been the base for their strong form in 2022-23.
Third-placed Atletico had been chasing down Real Madrid in second spot, with Diego Simeone’s side in brilliant form in the second half of the campaign, but the Red and Whites are now five points off their rivals following their loss at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid will not be expecting Barcelona to drop enough points to allow them back into the race, but it could still be a very successful campaign for Los Blancos, who are chasing two major trophies late in the season.
The capital side will face Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final on May 6 before hosting Manchester City for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final three days later.
It will be fascinating to see how the next three league games against Girona, Almeria and Real Sociedad are treated, as Ancelotti will want to keep his players fresh for the three huge matches
Team News and Injury
Girona will again be without the services of Borja Garcia, David Lopez, Joel Roca, Yangel Herrera and Ibrahima Kebe for the contest with the reigning La Liga champions.
Meanwhile, Toni Villa and Aleix Garcia had to be substituted in the early stages of Saturday’s loss to Real Valladolid, and the pair will also miss out on Tuesday night.
However, the home side will be boosted by the returns of Santiago Bueno and Valentin Castellanos, with the duo both suspended for the team’s last game; Cristhian Stuani could retain his spot in the final third due to the midfield absences, with the hosts potentially changing to a 4-4-2 formation.
As for Real Madrid, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy remain on the sidelines through injury, while Dani Ceballos is suspended following his booking against Celta.
Karim Benzema played the full 90 minutes of Saturday’s match after recovering from injury, but he has been left out of the squad for this match due to a slight muscular issue.
Eden Hazard is also missing for the Spanish champions, having picked up an issue during a training session.
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric could come back into the side alongside Dani Carvajal, with Ancelotti expected to rotate his squad in the build-up to the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semi-finals.
Girona Vs Real Madrid Head-to-head stats
Real Madrid have a good recent record against Girona and have won four of the last seven matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Girona’s two victories.
Girona have lost only two of their five games against Real Madrid in La Liga, with both their defeats coming in 2018.
Real Madrid have won only two of their five matches against Girona in La Liga – their lowest win rate against a single opponent in the competition.
Girona held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture and could become the first newly-promoted team since Levante in the 2017-18 season to avoid defeat against Los Blancos in both league games in a single season.
Girona have won four of their last five matches at home in La Liga and have won their last two such games in the competition.
Girona vs Real Madrid prediction
Girona’s home form this season has been strong, winning eight of their 15 matches, but Real Madrid have the second-best away record in the division, claiming 31 points from 15 games. It would not be a surprise to see a draw here, but we just have a feeling that the reigning champions will navigate their way to all three points.
