Second-placed Real Madrid will look to continue their winning run when they hit the road to square up against Girona.
11th-placed Girona will host second-placed Real Madrid in search of their 11th win in La Liga. Meanwhile, the visitors who are 11 points behind league leaders Barcelona will look to make it 21 wins in the ongoing league campaign.
Girona were promoted to La Liga ahead of the ongoing season. They had set their sights on avoiding relegation. The Catalonian outfit have performed remarkably well this season. They have accumulated 38 points from 30 matches, placing them 11th in the table and eight points clear of the drop zone.
Though Girona are unlikely to secure a spot in Europe this season, they remain only three points behind eighth-placed Osasuna and are eyeing a top-half finish. Despite losing their most recent match against Real Valladolid, they are eager to bounce back against the current European and Spanish champions, Real Madrid.
Los Blancos head into their upcoming match against Girona, having secured a 2-0 win over Celta. The victory moved them up to 65 points, eight points behind league leaders Barcelona. However, the gap grew to 11 points on Sunday after Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid.
While third-placed Atletico have been in excellent form in the second half of the campaign and have been chasing down Real Madrid, they are now five points behind following their loss at Camp Nou. Though Real Madrid are unlikely to catch Barcelona, they still have a shot at winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Last time around in the reverse fixture, Girona managed to hold off Los Blancos to a 1-1 draw away from home. They will be eager to produce another top-notch performance and take away points from this fixture. While there is a huge gap in the quality of both squads, the home team could still make the life of the visitors difficult. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Girona
The home team will be without the services of Yangel Herrera, Joel Roca, Borja Garcia, David Lopez and Ibrahima Kebe who are all out injured. The duo of Toni Villa and Aleix Garcia were subbed off in their last outing and are likely to be unavailable for this fixture.
No hi ha temps per aturar-se! 👊
🔜 #GironaRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/ANah8q2zyl— Girona FC (@GironaFC) April 24, 2023
Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Santiago Bueno and Valentin Castellanos are back after serving their suspensions. With quite a few players unavailable, Michel could switch to a 4-4-2 formation where Paulo Gazzaniga will be in goal. Arnau Martinez and Javi Hernandez will start out wide as the full-backs. Santiago Bueno will pair up with Juanpe in the heart of the defence.
As far as the midfield is concerned, Viktor Tsygankov and Rodrigo Riquelme, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid, will start out wide and look to provide the much-needed width against Real Madrid.
In the centre, Oriol Romeu will pair up with Ivan Martin, Romeu will be in a more defensive role and will look to shield his back-four. Valentin Castellanos will team up with Toni Villa as the duo leak to score against a strong Real Madrid defence.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Gazzaniga; Arnau Martinez, Bueno, Juanpe, Javi Hernandez; Riquelme, Romeu, Martin, Tsygankov; Castellanos, Stuani
Real Madrid
As far as the visitors are concerned, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba are out injured. Meanwhile, Dani Ceballos has been suspended for this fixture.
🔴🎙️ 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀: @MrAncelotti speak to the press ahead of #GironaRealMadrid! https://t.co/9QgjOuVbHU
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 24, 2023
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that both Karim Benzema and Eduardo Camavinga have picked up blows and will not be involved in this fixture. He is expected to rotate his squad with the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League semi-final round the corner.
The Italian manager will start with the 4-3-3 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. Dani Carvajal could return to XI and will pair up with Nacho as the full-backs for this fixture. Meanwhile, Eder Militao should pair up with Antonio Rudiger as the two centre-backs.
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric should both return to the mix after being rested in their previous outing. The veteran duo could be supported by Federico Valverde in the centre of the park. As far as the attack is concerned, in form, Asensio should start on the right while Vinicius should be on the left flank. Rodrygo could be leading the lines for Los Blancos.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have scored the most number of goals in the league, having found the back of the net on 63 occasions.
- Girona have been clinical at home this season, having picked up 27 points from their 15 matches, winning eight times in the process.
- Real Madrid have the third-best defence in the league, having conceded 24 goals throughout the season.
- In the reverse fixture, Girona managed to claim a point courtesy of a 1-1 draw away from home against Real Madrid.
- Real Madrid are on a four-match winning run in all competitions and will be looking to make it five.
Player to Watch
Marco Asensio
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Marco Asensio is a versatile player who has proven his worth time and again for Real Madrid. With his impressive pace, dribbling skills, and eye for goal. The Spanish international is a constant threat to the opposition. The 27-year-old’s performances this season have been impressive. Despite not being the first choice, he has managed to score some crucial goals for the team.
He has been involved in 24 La Liga games and has been on the pitch for just over 1,000 minutes. In the limited time, he has scored eight goals and five assists. Carlo Ancelotti will expect his forward to once again produce the goods as he is all set to start back-to-back league games. And ahead of an impending renewal, he will be eager to make his mark.
Prediction
Girona 0-2 Real Madrid
Girona, currently placed 11th in the La Liga standings, have been in fine form at home, winning eight of their 15 matches at the Estadi Montilivi. However, they are up against a strong Real Madrid who have a superior head-to-head record against the home team, winning all six of their previous meetings in all competitions.
Given the contrasting form and strength of the two teams, it is likely that the Madrid-based club will emerge victorious in this encounter. While Girona will put up a strong fight, they may not have enough to overcome the firepower of Los Blancos. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the visitors.
